tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1881899465729622762019-05-04T17:18:15.658+01:00Sacrificial MaterialsArt and Public Space_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-62775750828544163722017-02-26T18:41:00.000+00:002017-02-26T19:04:03.143+00:00Own a Piece of Glasgow History<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />The Attendants was an artwork I made for the Gorbals in Glasgow in 2000 - for the last 17 years the set of 12 figures have watched over the close entrances along Cathcart Road and Caledonia Road. Also for 17 years I have been looking after the Artists Proof casting for the set - but I am about to move studio and have no space for the sculpture at my new place...so I am offering it for sale.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uoSGeq709k8/WLMi_LN_FBI/AAAAAAAAB9E/-PM_uY6XjLYDACfX9H-PFpPr-yNKEljuQCLcB/s1600/finished-PP.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uoSGeq709k8/WLMi_LN_FBI/AAAAAAAAB9E/-PM_uY6XjLYDACfX9H-PFpPr-yNKEljuQCLcB/s320/finished-PP.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D7MXrG8p6X4/WLMey1aEhxI/AAAAAAAAB80/C8cTRouuWtM0rEqYK_HdQY_8wS3pvmAnwCLcB/s1600/iPhotoiPhoto-mailtmp-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D7MXrG8p6X4/WLMey1aEhxI/AAAAAAAAB80/C8cTRouuWtM0rEqYK_HdQY_8wS3pvmAnwCLcB/s320/iPhotoiPhoto-mailtmp-33.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The sculpture is cast in aluminium, it weighs approx 80kg and is about 2.4 metres between the 'wingtips'<br /><br />It can be installed in a number of ways and I have some of the original poles and brackets from the Gorbals installation...alternatively you might want to try something different - like the tree install that I did in my garden once:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6R8DWfTwMEE/WLMewWKfwRI/AAAAAAAAB8w/NPUKh5x3WZwb1w1DC8zM634-0yeiuN2PwCEw/s1600/IMG_3369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6R8DWfTwMEE/WLMewWKfwRI/AAAAAAAAB8w/NPUKh5x3WZwb1w1DC8zM634-0yeiuN2PwCEw/s320/IMG_3369.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cfwmeMnjtRE/WLMe1_Ohs9I/AAAAAAAAB84/QNB3icAnB6IaMIn5P26uxe9dn_pLykBuwCEw/s1600/City%2Bof%2BStone%2B%2526%2BAngels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cfwmeMnjtRE/WLMe1_Ohs9I/AAAAAAAAB84/QNB3icAnB6IaMIn5P26uxe9dn_pLykBuwCEw/s320/City%2Bof%2BStone%2B%2526%2BAngels.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I never cease to be amazed by how many recognise 'the angels' - if you own one you will never be short on conversation starters!<br /><br />If I cannot sell the sculpture I will have to sell it for scrap - I'm asking in the region of £1000 for the sculpture (buyer collects) - if you are interested, then please make me an offer - <a href="mailto:studio@mattbaker.org.uk">email me here</a>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-882895424429149782015-11-06T00:27:00.001+00:002015-11-18T12:42:57.230+00:00Art Where the Waves Break<span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For a while I have been thinking about the changes I am seeing in artist practice around me and wondering why this is happening and what art is for in the world we now live in. Recently I was asked to contribute a&nbsp; keynote 'scottish perspective' to an <a href="http://galoshans.com/#symposium">international symposium on art in public </a>space...this gave me the chance to try out some ideas. Here is the transcript and images from that talk</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mxdlOGemYvU/VjvraFVWOFI/AAAAAAAAB1U/y_max3s9fEI/s1600/Slide01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mxdlOGemYvU/VjvraFVWOFI/AAAAAAAAB1U/y_max3s9fEI/s400/Slide01.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My talk is called ‘A Scottish Perspective’ in the programme – but what follows is, necessarily, a very personal approach. But, as will become clear, my version of personal turns out to be very unstable in its relationship to notions of group, collective and society. Scottish, in my understanding is a shared place, a shared context for action and an emotional relationship with a culture.<br />For me ENGAGEMENT is the key word of this Symposium and the changing nature of the way artists are engaging with ideas of public is what I want to talk about.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AlFwO24Baz4/VjvraMqLV8I/AAAAAAAAB1Q/KqceC-jUBdc/s1600/Slide02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AlFwO24Baz4/VjvraMqLV8I/AAAAAAAAB1Q/KqceC-jUBdc/s400/Slide02.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’d like to invite you to take an imaginative leap and turn things around for minute and see the world we operate in as the sea instead of the land.<br />Most of my life as an artist (which began in the 80s) I have experienced the majority of interesting art process as taking place HERE….in the centre of the ocean. What i am saying is that artists were feeling for the deep currents, the energy and momentum of ideas…..the things that were not the immediate reality of most other people in society. Artists were trying to mix their work with those currents and ultimately be made real, as waves….but crucially, where those waves would ultimately form and land was not specified, meaning that there was engagement with a public but mostly this was not key to the meaning of the work. &gt; This is a vision of the artist as OUTSIDER – a position that is seen as crucial to their engagement with the world.</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5C-ycc3UOQ/VjvrZm2AItI/AAAAAAAAB1Y/QPndpqgrwvE/s1600/Slide03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5C-ycc3UOQ/VjvrZm2AItI/AAAAAAAAB1Y/QPndpqgrwvE/s400/Slide03.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today, within the Scottish context, as I know it, I experience a shift in the place of operation of much interesting work from the deep currents to the place of physical contact with the rest of the world…the impact zone where the waves break.</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-duorsLQmQVk/VjxfIu1s63I/AAAAAAAAB70/yoHMhsA9Nfs/s1600/Slide%2B4a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-duorsLQmQVk/VjxfIu1s63I/AAAAAAAAB70/yoHMhsA9Nfs/s400/Slide%2B4a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is the place of impact, of connection, of shared lived experience. When artists work here, the chaos of action makes it much harder to separate who is doing what – AUTHORSHIP becomes blurred and it is becomes increasingly irrelevant to make distinctions between OUTSIDERS and INSIDERS. This is a real challenge for how we understand art process and the idea of what constitutes artist, audience and the role of art in society.<br /><br />So why the desire to operate in this confusing and challenging space – that is a too big a question for this talk and the discussion is certainly not limited to a Scottish contex </span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y38AVZnlQ6g/Vjvrb1ephRI/AAAAAAAAB2A/e5phcdo7Fng/s1600/Slide05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y38AVZnlQ6g/Vjvrb1ephRI/AAAAAAAAB2A/e5phcdo7Fng/s400/Slide05.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What I believe has definitely changed here though is a renewed sense of possibility – a new belief in the possibility of an action having a direct effect. For all of my working life as an artist in public space in Scotland until now I have been surrounded by a culture of <b>impossibility</b> rather than possibility.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn4YpCc_wI4/VjvrbUf9hgI/AAAAAAAAB10/r_mWymvpQ7U/s1600/Slide06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn4YpCc_wI4/VjvrbUf9hgI/AAAAAAAAB10/r_mWymvpQ7U/s400/Slide06.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You were usually cried a lunatic (or an artist I guess) for trying to do anything at all – because any fool could see that there really was no point trying to change anything!<br />However, for the last three years one of the most extraordinary public art projects has been happening here…the artwork has been the repeated and collective repetition of the word YES.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-inrtKldL_g0/VjvrclcA_uI/AAAAAAAAB2U/-cxqaVK8K3s/s1600/Slide07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-inrtKldL_g0/VjvrclcA_uI/AAAAAAAAB2U/-cxqaVK8K3s/s400/Slide07.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This art project got thousands of people to re-engage with the future and to go out onto the streets to yell YES at anyone who would listen… And it terrified the establishment who relied on fear of change to maintain the status quo. In Scotland right now there is a renewed sense that things are possible and this is the new culture that lays down a challenge to artists to engage with that possibility through immersing themselves in the HERE and the NOW and in the WE.</span></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9U5ujbrO6So/VjvrcrLhNJI/AAAAAAAAB3g/UNwxD0QLqR0/s1600/Slide08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9U5ujbrO6So/VjvrcrLhNJI/AAAAAAAAB3g/UNwxD0QLqR0/s400/Slide08.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So….what are we seeing on the ground? We are seeing a practice that places ENGAGEMENT at its very core…..practice that sets out to have a direct effect on people and places in its immediate locale. Artists are opening buildings, embedding themselves within communities. But these&nbsp; buildings are not just places to make and show what they make – they are places for learning, for sharing, for helping - for a wider society. Artists are trying to support collective action, actions not authored in the traditional ART sense – rather this is practice that is designed to spread authorship and ultimately question the idea of ownership altogether. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3PJ5SYv7h4s/VjvrdSy-SDI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/JMrWuShuVeo/s1600/Slide09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3PJ5SYv7h4s/VjvrdSy-SDI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/JMrWuShuVeo/s400/Slide09.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zm6J3TaVFvw/Vjvrd-V1UfI/AAAAAAAAB4o/-lIZXj5P2Ko/s1600/Slide10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zm6J3TaVFvw/Vjvrd-V1UfI/AAAAAAAAB4o/-lIZXj5P2Ko/s400/Slide10.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is On The Corner which opened in Glasgow’s East End&nbsp; a few months back. The artists have the whole building and are using part of it as studio/gallery space, but they are also running Rave Aerobics classes.....</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gh6nCwuq9vc/VjvreVC4jHI/AAAAAAAAB2c/Ac75q6XxBR8/s1600/Slide11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gh6nCwuq9vc/VjvreVC4jHI/AAAAAAAAB2c/Ac75q6XxBR8/s400/Slide11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">and…..a café and food project</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zs-eAql1Nvc/VjvrfLSNjaI/AAAAAAAAB2k/wo2xH-U0b10/s1600/Slide12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zs-eAql1Nvc/VjvrfLSNjaI/AAAAAAAAB2k/wo2xH-U0b10/s400/Slide12.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5QGYpQ-lKlc/VjvrgaYpAcI/AAAAAAAAB20/2ImK_0QEPJw/s1600/Slide13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5QGYpQ-lKlc/VjvrgaYpAcI/AAAAAAAAB20/2ImK_0QEPJw/s400/Slide13.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">…….and a social enterprise that uses the profits from selling upcycled furniture to offer free courses in upcycling</span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_r6ke9XzmLk/Vjvrfj38CsI/AAAAAAAAB2o/a-ba8PXfsKI/s1600/Slide14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_r6ke9XzmLk/Vjvrfj38CsI/AAAAAAAAB2o/a-ba8PXfsKI/s400/Slide14.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But actually much of the most deeply embedded work of this type is happening not in Scotlands cities but in the towns</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-or1wNJ92QCk/Vjvrghzxr1I/AAAAAAAAB28/9kSRW5Hzj-c/s1600/Slide15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-or1wNJ92QCk/Vjvrghzxr1I/AAAAAAAAB28/9kSRW5Hzj-c/s400/Slide15.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Towns and villages are where 69% of our population live, but the majority of which have been in serious decline since the 80s. A decline that has resulted in the negativity described but because of their size artist find within them a scale of community connection that suits this practice of engagement. A practice that perhaps has its roots in the Art Labs and community arts centres of the 1960s and 70s.</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SYL5BIVC5Rk/VjvrhCr2npI/AAAAAAAAB3A/0bGuG_fsXzw/s1600/Slide16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SYL5BIVC5Rk/VjvrhCr2npI/AAAAAAAAB3A/0bGuG_fsXzw/s400/Slide16.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Timespan in Helmsdale in Sutherland, Deveron Arts in Huntley Aberdeenshire (with its ‘town is the gallery’ concept), The Eiggbox residency space on the Isle of Eigg and Atlas Arts which doesn’t have a building but curates within communities and is currently on North Uist.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1A1YzJTVL6U/Vjvrh_TP3GI/AAAAAAAAB3M/J09EhyI-l-A/s1600/Slide17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1A1YzJTVL6U/Vjvrh_TP3GI/AAAAAAAAB3M/J09EhyI-l-A/s400/Slide17.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Then North Light is growing fast in Dunbar as part of their transition town project,&nbsp; Scottish Sculpture Workshop under the directorship of Nuno Sacromento is embracing the idea of ‘thinking globally and acting locally’, Berwick Film festival is reclaiming redundant spaces around the town and I’ve included Greenock Sugar Sheds , because lets hope that something can still grow there from the initial work of locally based artists there such as Alec Galloway.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nZiZt7BY45c/VjvrideGbmI/AAAAAAAAB3U/Bc3zI2UZIow/s1600/Slide18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nZiZt7BY45c/VjvrideGbmI/AAAAAAAAB3U/Bc3zI2UZIow/s400/Slide18.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Which brings me to The Stove in Dumfries – a project that I have been involved with since its beginning 4.5 years ago. <br />Stove Network was an entirely artist created and artist-led initiative. We are based in a three storey shop unit in the heart of Dumfries town centre and our aim is to breathe new life into the town and use art and creativity to involve local people in making a new future for Dumfries – as a vibrant regional capital<br />We now have more than 200 members ranging from established artists to students and emerging artist and have now grown to include local businesses, community groups and anyone who believes in the vision of our town as place that is not solely about shopping but is a civic place of meeting and social purpose and a gateway to the culture, landscape and heritage of the wider region.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nAELagZzfP8/VjvrixW4hrI/AAAAAAAAB3c/S8Ylh_po_j0/s1600/Slide19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nAELagZzfP8/VjvrixW4hrI/AAAAAAAAB3c/S8Ylh_po_j0/s400/Slide19.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Stove believes in long term embedded practice in a place and in a community. Work that is not ‘parachuted in’ but has time to grow and develop with the place and people it is for. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V9RPYOUXPWU/VjvrjVEM8hI/AAAAAAAAB3k/V8xlpe3HKV0/s1600/Slide20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V9RPYOUXPWU/VjvrjVEM8hI/AAAAAAAAB3k/V8xlpe3HKV0/s400/Slide20.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hands-on process focusing on a commitment to demystifying and a ‘can-do’ ethos. This ultimately extends to a vision of creative practice becoming integrated into the wider structures of our society….this is the bigger aim of The Stove – to challenge risk-averse culture and replace it with one of making things happen through people taking creative responsibility for the environment around them.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uGGxh5SE_lY/VjvrkMzNgdI/AAAAAAAAB3w/qz_BOwKact0/s1600/Slide21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uGGxh5SE_lY/VjvrkMzNgdI/AAAAAAAAB3w/qz_BOwKact0/s400/Slide21.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We have been active for four years, but did not have a building to start with – instead we made public actions in the town…Charter 14 – a new town charter crowd-sourced from people and groups in Dumfries – and launched by wrapping the first lines around the town fountain on banners that needed wetting to become legible….we then gave people sponges to dip in the fountain and throw at the banners.</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F7s97LBaipE/VjvrkmOakxI/AAAAAAAAB30/wGVr9MRzW48/s1600/Slide22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F7s97LBaipE/VjvrkmOakxI/AAAAAAAAB30/wGVr9MRzW48/s400/Slide22.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For the last 3 years we have staged Nithraid which celebrates Dumfries’ relationship with the River Nith through a daring sailing race right up the river from the Solway Firth into the&nbsp;centre of town. A race made possible by the highest&nbsp;tides of the year&nbsp;and complicated by currents, shifting sandbanks and&nbsp;low bridges.&nbsp;The race is also a platform for a public spectacle&nbsp;that involves the&nbsp;legendary Salty Coo of Dumfries and other diverse and unexpected&nbsp;entertainments.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3h6SWUkviqk/VjvrlIigYUI/AAAAAAAAB38/Z6P2xeLtRyA/s1600/Slide23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3h6SWUkviqk/VjvrlIigYUI/AAAAAAAAB38/Z6P2xeLtRyA/s400/Slide23.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We also stage discussion events – this is the Lost Supper, a dinner party in Greyfriars Church hosted by contemporaries of Robert Burns. Here the Marquis De Sade and William Blake lead a conversation about a re-imagined Dumfries.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f8WLVmrSxMo/Vjvrlxx14FI/AAAAAAAAB4U/7XCgx8q7QO4/s1600/Slide24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f8WLVmrSxMo/Vjvrlxx14FI/AAAAAAAAB4U/7XCgx8q7QO4/s400/Slide24.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In April this year we finally moved into the building that we had been negotiating for since 2011</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dx7e2GfX-aI/VjvrmEAMBFI/AAAAAAAAB4Q/d1fTfT_0nTE/s1600/Slide25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dx7e2GfX-aI/VjvrmEAMBFI/AAAAAAAAB4Q/d1fTfT_0nTE/s400/Slide25.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is how were are working in the building with activity strands (in yellow) and, in red are the partnerships that we are involved in and around those strands of activity.</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gDW7S_vtgXs/VjvrmnmBjRI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/zoFhngGp0bs/s1600/Slide26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gDW7S_vtgXs/VjvrmnmBjRI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/zoFhngGp0bs/s400/Slide26.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dumfries Music Conference is now in its third year. It comprises workshops and events centred around people at the early stages of a career in the music industry. This is Radio DMC – an online radio station that ran for two days and featured live performances from local bands and musicians as well as giving experience to young presenters. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cvcOHKeYl3E/VjvrmzqxsKI/AAAAAAAAB4c/RR8udkV42AQ/s1600/Slide27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cvcOHKeYl3E/VjvrmzqxsKI/AAAAAAAAB4c/RR8udkV42AQ/s400/Slide27.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Stove presents regular gigs as platforms for emerging local and Scottish bands&nbsp; </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q6xF1Pa0Wrw/VjvsG5VERiI/AAAAAAAAB7o/Rfs8RnuzoMs/s1600/Slide28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q6xF1Pa0Wrw/VjvsG5VERiI/AAAAAAAAB7o/Rfs8RnuzoMs/s400/Slide28.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Word strand has Brave New Words – a monthly open-mic night for original writing in addition to workshops, pop-up bookshops and other opportunities for writers</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--5AWa2cLs24/VjvrnmZkfGI/AAAAAAAAB4s/X9Yu1EAcDI4/s1600/Slide29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--5AWa2cLs24/VjvrnmZkfGI/AAAAAAAAB4s/X9Yu1EAcDI4/s400/Slide29.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Food strand centres on the café at The Stove (that we are in the final stages of building), but also includes events around growing and preparing food. We have done a few fires in the town square outside the Stove – on this one we cooked bannocks that people were making inside the building.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RcbHVR2krgU/VjvroKxQN8I/AAAAAAAAB40/Tnqqasg1fkM/s1600/Slide30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RcbHVR2krgU/VjvroKxQN8I/AAAAAAAAB40/Tnqqasg1fkM/s400/Slide30.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Future thinking about the town we are based in and encouraging people to take part in making a future for the town is a huge part of what The Stove does. For us, social media, as a means of participating in the HERE and NOW of our shared place is an artwork strategy. The Speechbubble project invited people to make the buildings of Dumfries speak by filling in speechbubbles and sharing photos of them on social media. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GiQ1bkxwBVk/Vjvrop1KJ0I/AAAAAAAAB44/i8xulTcrwfg/s1600/Slide31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GiQ1bkxwBVk/Vjvrop1KJ0I/AAAAAAAAB44/i8xulTcrwfg/s400/Slide31.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Selected speechbubbles were converted into silkscreens for printing</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KiPOGUQckzs/VjvrpfzRJvI/AAAAAAAAB5E/YME5JenkOPk/s1600/Slide32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KiPOGUQckzs/VjvrpfzRJvI/AAAAAAAAB5E/YME5JenkOPk/s400/Slide32.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NukG-D_94iY/VjvrqOYPlPI/AAAAAAAAB5M/js1oWipx1ew/s1600/Slide33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NukG-D_94iY/VjvrqOYPlPI/AAAAAAAAB5M/js1oWipx1ew/s400/Slide33.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Stove became a screenprinting factory for a day run by members of the Young Stove (our youth group) making teeshirts with the public</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QQD_HDAbovI/VjvrqU_sahI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/-ow1X2iSj68/s1600/Slide34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QQD_HDAbovI/VjvrqU_sahI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/-ow1X2iSj68/s400/Slide34.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The project then took another turn with words from the speechbubbles being made into temporary sign boards for empty shops around the town as a wider project to explore what a cultural town centre might look like began.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ofbzl5YlzXc/VjvrqteLtbI/AAAAAAAAB5c/lkHyniLuzqA/s1600/Slide35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ofbzl5YlzXc/VjvrqteLtbI/AAAAAAAAB5c/lkHyniLuzqA/s400/Slide35.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Lens-based strand at The Stove includes screenings, discussions, film-making and projections/installations. This is a local group of skateboarders watching their own films in a temporary cinema on the third underground level of an NCP carpark in Dumfries as part of The Stove’s Parking Space event in October 2014</span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_2kDf9Pmo3k/VjvrrcIfi6I/AAAAAAAAB5k/e_he85EoSfM/s1600/Slide36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_2kDf9Pmo3k/VjvrrcIfi6I/AAAAAAAAB5k/e_he85EoSfM/s400/Slide36.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Working with young people runs through much of The Stove’s work – the Young Stove is the youth wing of the network. This is their recent group show Not to be Sold Separately.</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--voppPH-KV8/VjvrruPFHlI/AAAAAAAAB5s/vzjJdiuDJfQ/s1600/Slide37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--voppPH-KV8/VjvrruPFHlI/AAAAAAAAB5s/vzjJdiuDJfQ/s400/Slide37.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meanwhile there is still work happening in the middle of the ocean. But much of the ‘deep current’ work that I see is now focussed on concepts about possible future societies….imagined organisations and ways of people coming together in new ways.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ve-fp8t436M/Vjvrsf4lbfI/AAAAAAAAB50/7ANT4W0XmpA/s1600/Slide38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ve-fp8t436M/Vjvrsf4lbfI/AAAAAAAAB50/7ANT4W0XmpA/s400/Slide38.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Environmental Art Festival Scotland is a biennal event that began as an expression of the community of interest around place-centred practice in South West Scotland and is rapidly growing nationally and internationally.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6URbW8cc1Vw/Vjvrs2piuLI/AAAAAAAAB58/ZKhVf1FOhls/s1600/Slide39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6URbW8cc1Vw/Vjvrs2piuLI/AAAAAAAAB58/ZKhVf1FOhls/s400/Slide39.jpg" width="400" />&nbsp;</a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Stove is one of the producing partners and this year’s event was co-produced by local creative produc<span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;">ers</span> Wide–Open and co-curated by myself and fellow artist Robbie Coleman.<br />EAFS 15 was a 2 day festival that created a temporary community in the remote landscape of the Lowther hills around the ruins of Morton Castle. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OK8VNbFbY6s/VjvrtIe_SVI/AAAAAAAAB6A/0oJjZkPDjmo/s1600/Slide40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OK8VNbFbY6s/VjvrtIe_SVI/AAAAAAAAB6A/0oJjZkPDjmo/s400/Slide40.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F0Cpmnnifrw/Vjvrt7N3nII/AAAAAAAAB6I/64StbUUFEFk/s1600/Slide41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F0Cpmnnifrw/Vjvrt7N3nII/AAAAAAAAB6I/64StbUUFEFk/s400/Slide41.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The festival community lived entirely without money and all food was shared and cooked on the 90 foot River of Fire barbeque</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hQga1YwOSeI/VjvruSjy4zI/AAAAAAAAB6U/IHXARZ-BMhg/s1600/Slide42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hQga1YwOSeI/VjvruSjy4zI/AAAAAAAAB6U/IHXARZ-BMhg/s400/Slide42.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The space of the EAFS ‘village’ made places for gatherings hosted by artists</span></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m7UmjG6y-Yo/Vjvru-OodWI/AAAAAAAAB6c/9mT9yfbgx-0/s1600/Slide43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m7UmjG6y-Yo/Vjvru-OodWI/AAAAAAAAB6c/9mT9yfbgx-0/s400/Slide43.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYJAfU3XQAc/VjvrvTt0n1I/AAAAAAAAB6g/qhD0D-C8U4E/s1600/Slide44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYJAfU3XQAc/VjvrvTt0n1I/AAAAAAAAB6g/qhD0D-C8U4E/s400/Slide44.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the wide area around the castle artists were actively making work in the landscape – visitors to the festival followed maps in the EAFS newspaper to encounter the artists</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MqKJ9CQ_4ik/VjvrwAaM9DI/AAAAAAAAB6s/epycQO4PlFE/s1600/Slide45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MqKJ9CQ_4ik/VjvrwAaM9DI/AAAAAAAAB6s/epycQO4PlFE/s400/Slide45.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NpLwKAJqObw/Vjvrw3U5LjI/AAAAAAAAB60/9DuQRoBL10c/s1600/Slide46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NpLwKAJqObw/Vjvrw3U5LjI/AAAAAAAAB60/9DuQRoBL10c/s400/Slide46.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Glasgow photographic collective Phoco Foco set themselves up in a remote bothy 2 hours walk from the EAFS village, where they spent the weekend conducting experiments using a chemical darkroom, a camera attached to a kite, pinhole cameras and cyanotypes.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vfnGVOtyyRA/Vjvrxs_696I/AAAAAAAAB7A/kv_av64s7Ck/s1600/Slide47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vfnGVOtyyRA/Vjvrxs_696I/AAAAAAAAB7A/kv_av64s7Ck/s400/Slide47.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The experience of EAFS was formative for this relatively young group of artists who learned a great deal about how being part of the collective could support their individual practices and what they might do next as a group.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sVtjQSYgNG0/Vjvrx_Bt6HI/AAAAAAAAB7I/aLxOTmcWsv4/s1600/Slide48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sVtjQSYgNG0/Vjvrx_Bt6HI/AAAAAAAAB7I/aLxOTmcWsv4/s400/Slide48.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At night people returned to the village where themed campfire conversations were hosted by artists and other thinkers and activists</span></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C6a5qDQ-3mw/VjvryIhkGkI/AAAAAAAAB7M/-3-muQ1dbkE/s1600/Slide49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C6a5qDQ-3mw/VjvryIhkGkI/AAAAAAAAB7M/-3-muQ1dbkE/s400/Slide49.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sanctuary is another Dumfries and Galloway project. (Curator Jo Hodges was also talking in more detail about Sanctuary later in the Symposium). </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_lSj6_wVef4/VjvrylUpq0I/AAAAAAAAB7U/2i0rLR7YFKc/s1600/Slide50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_lSj6_wVef4/VjvrylUpq0I/AAAAAAAAB7U/2i0rLR7YFKc/s400/Slide50.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sanctuary created an experimental space in the Galloway Forest outside the reach of internet and common communication where artists staged creative experiments – all of which were designed to leave little trace afterwards. For example Dark Skies FM is a 24 hour radio broadcast within the area of Sanctuary in which none of the music broadcast has ever been broadcast before and is destroyed after this transmission.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SmDdgtd3dDY/VjvrzMym_sI/AAAAAAAAB7c/dkRSSLUhf1g/s1600/Slide51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SmDdgtd3dDY/VjvrzMym_sI/AAAAAAAAB7c/dkRSSLUhf1g/s400/Slide51.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Other examples include Camp Breakdown Breakdown a week-long ecological theory workshop at Scottish Sculpture workshop, Roanne Dods and Gerry Hassan’s Festival of Ideas and the recent Unusual Suspects festival in Glasgow that focussed on Social Innovation</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6-6OreHWHqM/VjvrzlGTuTI/AAAAAAAAB7g/ZomFhBkuXBs/s1600/Slide52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6-6OreHWHqM/VjvrzlGTuTI/AAAAAAAAB7g/ZomFhBkuXBs/s400/Slide52.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">All that remains is to leave you with a question – if all this engagement has an intention…then where is this ultimately leading and what does success look like. What happens if a future world emerges where creative practice IS integrated into everything that society does. Will the artists have become the new establishment or will creative practice ensure a constant reinvention that makes the existence of an establishment impossible???</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-80349899806571095822015-02-14T14:36:00.002+00:002015-02-17T16:46:06.816+00:00Are We Changing the World or Aren’t We?…. Scottish Labour, The Rangers: Momentum, Mercenaries and Missing the Point<div class="MsoNormal"><style><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Century Gothic"; panose-1:2 11 5 2 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Century Gothic"; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:"Century Gothic"; mso-ascii-font-family:"Century Gothic"; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:"Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:JA;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt;} @page WordSection1 {size:595.0pt 842.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </style></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I just spent 2 hours delivering political leaflets with a 16 year old lad from my town. Aiden joined the SNP on his 16<sup>th</sup> birthday and I felt very honoured to be with him on his first experience of organised activism. </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The experience sent my head on mad journey about what the point of all this is….one that ended up making parallels between the current status of the Scottish Labour Party and The Rangers Football Club.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The things we really care about create passion, belief, conviction and require a hands-on connection to their source. When I was introduced to Aiden (by the SNP candidate for Dumfries and Galloway, Richard Arkless) I was talking to Aileen MacLeod (MSP and Minister for the Environment)….I have known Aileen since she was first campaigning to be an MSP and we are very proud of her down in the South West. Aiden said to me later that he had been surprised how difficult it was to tell the difference between the volunteers and the politicians at the gathering………and there it is...‘hands-on connection’ in a nutshell.</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">When Rangers’ troubles emerged a few years back and they were demoted to the Third division there were many emotions and opinions flying around….but one I remember clearly was the real hope that this situation might lead to a re-connection with the ‘real values’ of football. That hope<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>sketched a vision that Rangers might look to their grassroots, re-connect with their community and build a team from that renewed connection….a team that would capture the imagination of the whole country in their attempt to re-scale the heights of the game and re-ignite passion, belief and conviction in the game itself and its power to inspire.</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YtC09Xk6H0w/VN9aEUlHL3I/AAAAAAAABz0/DIOepTd3V3E/s1600/football%2Bmattered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YtC09Xk6H0w/VN9aEUlHL3I/AAAAAAAABz0/DIOepTd3V3E/s1600/football%2Bmattered.jpg" height="276" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Football - the real thing</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Unfortunately The Rangers chose not to take this path – instead they tried to cling to what they believed to be their rightful status – they continued to pay players and staff way beyond what the games they were playing justified. The team had the look of bloated mercenaries…paid, because there were none that believed in the cause. The idea seemed to be that if the illusion of greatness could be maintained long enough then everything would go back to normal.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kNP085vNnlo/VN9a8IGy-SI/AAAAAAAABz8/smcRlnTu1dU/s1600/Rangers%2Blose%2Bto%2BStirling%2BAlbion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kNP085vNnlo/VN9a8IGy-SI/AAAAAAAABz8/smcRlnTu1dU/s1600/Rangers%2Blose%2Bto%2BStirling%2BAlbion.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esLH-kLjCxo/VN9bIcxmfnI/AAAAAAAAB0E/5OaGAe5EMaI/s1600/Arnold-Schwarzenegger-Sylvester-Stallone-and-Bruce-Willis-in-The-Expendables-2-2012-Movie-Image1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esLH-kLjCxo/VN9bIcxmfnI/AAAAAAAAB0E/5OaGAe5EMaI/s1600/Arnold-Schwarzenegger-Sylvester-Stallone-and-Bruce-Willis-in-The-Expendables-2-2012-Movie-Image1.jpg" height="235" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Arnie, Sly and Willis .....the Expendables</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">In 1922 James Maxton was one the Independent Labour Party candidates elected to Westminster from Glasgow the group left Central Station with the cheers of a massive crowd ringing in their ears.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i4BsPMHL80E/VN9bk5uH0uI/AAAAAAAAB0M/zm7KcY6DNmU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-02-14%2Bat%2B13.13.16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i4BsPMHL80E/VN9bk5uH0uI/AAAAAAAAB0M/zm7KcY6DNmU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-02-14%2Bat%2B13.13.16.png" height="221" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">James Maxton was regarded as the greatest orator of his age</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wl2ULZ3qf3Q/VN9bnE0eyHI/AAAAAAAAB0U/AYvewzd3xSs/s1600/Maxton-train%E2%80%A2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wl2ULZ3qf3Q/VN9bnE0eyHI/AAAAAAAAB0U/AYvewzd3xSs/s1600/Maxton-train%E2%80%A2.jpg" height="400" width="301" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Maxton and colleague leaving Glasgow for London after his election to Westminster parliament</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">First the 2011 Holyrood election, then the Independence Referendum should surely have been a massive wake up call to the Scottish Labour party that the foundation built for them by people like Maxton and the status they had enjoyed as ‘Scotland’s Party’ was under massive question. Scottish Labour faced the same situation as The Rangers….unfortunately, it seems they have made the same choice. They appear to believe that propping up an illusion of authority by hiring ‘big hitters’ will see off this upstart challenge which has captured the imagination of Aiden and thousands of others like him.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span> </div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">For their sakes lets hope they don’t draw Raith Rovers in the cup anytime soon</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0SGr5U2uzRI/VN9cEpLNrsI/AAAAAAAAB0c/oMAKGVEODW0/s1600/Jim%2C%2BArnie%2BSly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0SGr5U2uzRI/VN9cEpLNrsI/AAAAAAAAB0c/oMAKGVEODW0/s1600/Jim%2C%2BArnie%2BSly.jpg" height="235" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Arnie, Sly and Murphy...The Expendables</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The cry of ‘Vote Scotland’ is crucial now as is the intoxicating passion of seeing our country play its part on bigger stages as it establishes itself as an independent state. But part of achieving this aim is to have the good sense to look further into the future and imagine what our society will need then - </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">diverse and powerful debate about different options for creating Social Democracy, Social Justice and Social Economy. For this to come to pass we need groups like the Scottish Labour Party to have the humility to re-invent themselves and embrace the potential for building the sort of country that James Maxton would be proud to call home</span>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b>But for now Vote Scotland, #ButterflyRevolution, Yes Alliance etc, etc will be enough to see Scotland as a counter balance to the neo-liberalism of Westminster</b> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-43843840089785057162014-11-22T17:37:00.001+00:002014-11-23T22:05:56.510+00:00Butterfly Revolution – small positive actions for a better world<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nVtteWuKdc4/VHDFvgCUdNI/AAAAAAAABy4/MqwxnF0m5dY/s1600/butterfly-circle.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nVtteWuKdc4/VHDFvgCUdNI/AAAAAAAABy4/MqwxnF0m5dY/s1600/butterfly-circle.gif" height="320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Since the momentous days of the referendum campaign I’ve continued to talk and listen to many people who had very different perspectives and involvements in the big conversation over the last 2 years. Where I am standing right now feels like a very positive place – yesterday I was with a group of young people between 17-26, the conversation turned to politics (or rather ‘the world’) – the chat was animated, informed and passionate…..my sense is that even a year ago this conversation would have been very different…a disinterested shrug and avoidance of eye contact possibly?</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />My positivity is because I believe that much of the hard work has been done – the referendum has awoken us to the power we have in our own hands to create our own future. So what next?</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />It has been said that the referendum achieved consensus about the society people wanted...and that the differences were about how to make that happen. By my reckoning the areas of consensus included:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b>Social Democracy</b> – a belief in the principles of transparency, inclusion , ownership and decision-making being in the hands of the many instead of the few.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b>Social Justice</b> – equality of opportunity at the centre of everything we do</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b>Social Economy</b> – a society that invests in its people first (through education, welfare and opportunity) rather than focussing on making a climate for ‘business’ and expecting the profits of business to trickle down and provide for citizens.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Many have joined political parties – this is positive stuff….but one of the great lessons of the referendum for me was how ‘politics’ was revealed as just one tool in the kit that we need to make things happen and build lasting and sustainable progress. If we lapse back in to assuming that it is only the politician’s job to do politics then we are one a short route back to disinterested shrugs and avoiding eye contact.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Everyone brought what they could to the referendum debate – be that wit, food, organisation, creativity, commerce, sport….we worked with politicians on an equal footing and felt we had a stake in creating something – rather than feeling that we were being used. Through the consensus we built about the kind of world we wanted to live in we got other places interested in questioning whether they too could think differently about the future…..particularly places close to home like England, Wales and Northern Ireland.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I am forming three basic questions:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">How to continue the positive consensus of the referendum discussion?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">How to make that inclusive to everyone, however they voted in the referendum?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">How to use Scotland’s societal energy as a positive force in other places in the world?</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">It seems pretty clear to me that the next opportunity to bring this social democratic movement to the fore is in the forthcoming UK General Election – there are some very obvious targets within the Westminster system (eg dodgy democracy like the House of Lords, equality gap of opportunity and wealth in society etc) that could be highlighted by the ‘scottish effect’. But it seems equally clear to me that this will only be possible if we maintain the collective approach that keeps professional politics in an equilibrium with a larger social movement.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />I believe that the most effective change comes when ordinary people start to change the world around them themselves – and this then inspires the organisations who maintain our society to become better.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><i>You can’t beat a thousand butterflies with a gun. But, you can beat a gun with a thousand butterflies</i></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />I’ve been inspired recently by <a href="http://www.aeinstein.org/">Gene Sharp's book ‘From Dictatorship to Democracy’</a> which has become a bible of non-violent change across the world over the last 20 years. Dr Sharp has 198 strategies for people to change the culture of power around them…..a factor that is common to many of these strategies is the use of easily identifiable symbols – so that seemingly diverse acts are connected because they use the same symbolic language. This is where the idea of the Butterfly Revolution comes in.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Not long after the referendum I was part of a group that identified the factors of the ‘scottish effect’ as:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Issues not Ideology</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Practical Acts and Good Craic</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Aspirational not Oppositional</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Positive Vision not Party Political'</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Positive and Inclusive</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Smart, Funny and Resourceful</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">United Action</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />We talked about ways of keeping these features alive to the benefit of the three questions raised above.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />The idea of the Butterfly Revolution is not new – it is something that grew from different sources during the referendum campaign (notably a post by <a href="http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2014/09/14/the-butterfly-rebellion/">Robin McAlpine on Bella Caledonia</a> and <a href="http://bellacaledonia.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/soar-alba.jpg">Andrew Mac’s beautiful Saor Alba poster</a>).</span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mvgz-IfNTdg/VHDEbUdHl_I/AAAAAAAAByw/grPB1OuwCJ8/s1600/butterfly%2Bbadge%2Bon%2Bbag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mvgz-IfNTdg/VHDEbUdHl_I/AAAAAAAAByw/grPB1OuwCJ8/s1600/butterfly%2Bbadge%2Bon%2Bbag.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I’d like to put forward a butterfly symbol based on the butterfly in Andrew Mac’s* poster&nbsp; that stands for all the small acts made by ordinary people towards changing their world using the ‘scottish effect' (the 3 social principles enacted through the factors listed above).</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />I’m proposing that the use of this symbol is entirely self-stewarded and inclusive. I have made up some button badges and am giving these out to people that I know and work with - if you would like to do the same and spread the Butterfly Revolution then send me an email to <a href="mailto:studio@mattbaker.org.uk">studio at mattbaker.org.uk</a> and I will send you the image file for the badge and a link to a company that produces badges* very cheaply online – you can order batches of the badges from them for yourself……..or do something altogether different and surprising with the symbol!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://twibbon.com/support/butterflyrevolutionscotland">Link to Facebook/Twitter ribbon - here</a><br /><br />So - what does the Butterfly Revolution stand for? Everyone will have their own answer….mine is 'a movement for a better democracy - brought about by real people doing real things for themselves'</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Lets get this done!</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><i>You can’t beat a thousand butterflies with a gun. But, you can beat a gun with a thousand butterflies</i></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><br />*if there are any badge manufacturers out there who would like to be part of this by offering at-cost production of the badges – please get in touch</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">*I've tried unsuccessfully to trace Andrew...if you are reading this please get in touch</span> </span><br /><br /><br />_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-56703355490848087402014-09-19T18:44:00.003+01:002014-09-19T18:58:56.151+01:00Movements of Affirmation - Yes<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><i>Yesterday the people of Scotland voted against the proposition that Scotland should become an independent country by 55% to 45%.....but the campaign became about something much bigger that that - it became about the foundations of our democracy and about the way we respect each other as equals and respect the planet we all share</i></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span> <br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Right this moment I feel heartbroken, angry and so very sad that the future I hoped we could offer to our young people will now be harder to achieve. But I am so grateful that over the last 3 years I have had the most inspirational and empowering time of my life I am grateful and proud to be part of a movement that can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">This is our movement – we feel it deep in our souls and we love it. It is like being in a band with everyone riffing off each other, ideas grow from what seems like nowhere – each is shared, re-shaped and added to. We build and we believe.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">At the core of the Yes movement is the unshakeable confidence we each have in each other that self-interest is not what is driving this. The Yes movement is built on generosity of spirit and equality of opportunity. We are bringing into being a world that we want to live in – not one that has been made for us that we have no choice but to accept.</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">There is no need to say ‘we must carry on’ – we <u>are</u>carrying on because <u>we</u> are people and we are still alive – we are the movement. This is not just about a political campaign – a political campaign has been an opportunity that allowed us to shape ideas and beliefs together and share them with others. We will continue our movement in everything we do…everything we say….everything we agree with or disagree with.</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">We also now have a network in place – a means of contacting each other and making consensus built on honouring our diversity. In itself this is a world changing achievement, one that not just imagines but IS an alternative to the power structures that govern our world just now. I look forward to continuing to negotiate with those structures about the inevitable transition.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I also can't wait to continue to expand Yes outside of Scotland.....#justthebeginning </span></span></div>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-6506996104312071122014-08-29T10:15:00.000+01:002014-08-29T11:45:36.088+01:00Its Good to Talk<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Being part of a community of people embracing the opportunity to think about their society, values and future is such a special moment in time. 'World Changing Craic!' as my fine friend <a href="http://www.scotlandlovesdemocracy.org/">Susan Pettie</a>would say.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l5xM3erwMQ4/VABDSRXvHbI/AAAAAAAABx8/nFDES2Om7dk/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-08-29%2Bat%2B10.01.08.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l5xM3erwMQ4/VABDSRXvHbI/AAAAAAAABx8/nFDES2Om7dk/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-08-29%2Bat%2B10.01.08.png" height="228" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">But, as more and more people are forming and reforming opinions I am beginning to notice a reluctance in people who are inclined to vote No to discuss their position. All this 'conviction and engagement' is new to many of us (certainly I have never actively engaged in politics before) - it seems that maybe some feel that by discussing their views others may be seeking to convert them to another position?</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">There is a place for 'active campaigning' but there is also a place for understanding and sharing. After the vote, whatever the result, there will be time when we all need to start refocusing on the things that unite us and work together as a community of people. We are a small country the links that join us to each other are legion and powerful - all of sudden we are suddenly finding out 'hey so and so is a Yes (or No)' etc, as with any bit of new information about someone we know it causes a re-configuring of who that person is. This is such a natural process and I see it as part of our society's journey to a more mature democracy - but it is unsettling at a personal level.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TVOygvHVriE/VABDP0qumBI/AAAAAAAABx0/Z80TmMz-YH4/s1600/2244136934_392508d06a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TVOygvHVriE/VABDP0qumBI/AAAAAAAABx0/Z80TmMz-YH4/s1600/2244136934_392508d06a.jpg" height="291" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People listen to each other about all sorts of stuff without having to agree - why not about about the Referendum</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Why I think it is crucial that we all keep telling each other what we are thinking in the Referendum Debate is because if we don't we risk losing the personal in this and we, as people just become flag carriers for the messages of the campaigns. I need to know to know why a friend is passionate about maintaining the political union in Britain - because if they do not tell me I start to wonder if they have some vested interest I don't know about or have fallen victim to campaign scaremongering.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">It is good and natural to talk about what we believe, it helps us understand each other and frame conversations about what we all want to do together.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7tNBEONBGY8/VABDL7dTVUI/AAAAAAAABxs/TqNW1F5mi_U/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-08-29%2Bat%2B10.00.48.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7tNBEONBGY8/VABDL7dTVUI/AAAAAAAABxs/TqNW1F5mi_U/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-08-29%2Bat%2B10.00.48.png" height="320" width="319" /></a></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">A great way to discuss the issues in a non-confrontational way is to use <a href="http://www.scotlandlovesdemocracy.org/">Scotland Loves Democracy's Wee Play game</a> ...check it out here - thoroughly recommended!!!</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span> </div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">NB..</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Part of my reason for bringing this up now is very recent direct evidence of some of the scare tactics being used by actively campaigning Better Together folk. These include elderly people being told on their own doorsteps that their pension will stop on September 19th if there is a Yes vote.....and Better Together officials announcing in public meetings that time itself will stop with Independence because people in Scotland will no longer be allowed to use Greenwich Mean Time and British Summer Time. Only by people talking to each other can we keep this precious debate alive and avoid labeling each other with the stereotypes created by opposing campaigns.</span><br /><br /></div>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-84685792744382804942014-08-16T17:49:00.000+01:002014-08-21T15:48:05.846+01:00I'm #YesBecause...Moments to be Alive<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The sense that things need to change often lies just beneath the surface in many people – this might not be accompanied by a clear plan for a new direction – just a deep feeling that things could be better. Throughout history there have been moments…moments when an event happened and all that collective desire for change was brought to the surface (Civil Rights Movement in US, Mandela’s imprisonment in South Africa, Removal of the Berlin Wall, Women’s Suffrage, Second World War). Moments like these brought into being many of the foundations of our society that we are most proud of such as the Welfare State - which was originally not just ‘benefits’ but: Social Security (Family Allowance, National Insurance etc), National Health Service, Free Education, Council Housing and Full Employment</span></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">These are the moments that ordinary people chose a path of idealism for the better future of their fellow citizens and claimed their right to determine their own future. Nine times out of ten such people never intended to get involved beforehand – but just did what they thought was right when the moment presented itself.</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dracStyaK7s/U--GBJFaEQI/AAAAAAAABxc/n1yBK-KNLGY/s1600/blackhistoryrosa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dracStyaK7s/U--GBJFaEQI/AAAAAAAABxc/n1yBK-KNLGY/s1600/blackhistoryrosa.jpg" height="232" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Rosa Park's refusal to conform to racial segregation laws on public transport sparked mass public support for the Civil Rights movement in the US and eventually equal rights legislation</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">We look back at such moments as ‘history’ and somehow they feel remote, not like things we could do ourselves. BUT the vote on 18th September is such a moment – almost uniquely this moment has been brought about not by protest or bloodshed, but by democratic process. We have a chance to gather the need for change and set in motion a chain of events that could result in new ways and means in our society that future generations will look upon with the same pride that we have for the Welfare State.</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">It is human nature that, when the wind of change comes, those currently in power act to defend the status-quo. They do this by telling us that we will risk what we already have by demanding better and that we are not capable of understanding the great complexities of the world that we seek to change. They promise us small bonuses and inducements.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">We face this moment on 18th September because enough people felt unease about the direction our society was taking and feared for the future of our children and grandchildren. One of the key reasons for this unease was the erosion of the principles and parts of our society (eg The Welfare State) that have been created by similar moments in the past. If we listen to voices telling us to ‘get back in our place’ all that will happen will be a collective sigh of relief from those in power and then it will be back to business as usual. This moment will just be recorded as another failed attempt by a bunch of ‘misguided radicals’ to disrupt those whose sole aim in life is to accumulate wealth and power.</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Any decision involves risk – the future is uncertain if we vote Yes or if we vote No.</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">If we vote Yes on September we are voting to begin a process of change in our society – and most importantly we are voting to go into that process WITH a democratic voice in the way we shape our future. The negotiations will be twofold:</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">To decide on the way Scotland governs, organises, resources and conducts itself for its own people and in relation to the wider world</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">&nbsp;</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">To agree a way of working in partnership with our nearest neighbours in the British Isles</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span></span></li></ul><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">This second part is perhaps the most crucial in the context of deciding to make Scotland’s government independent of the rest of the UK. What will happen will be one of the most important processes in the history of our society in Britain. All of the systems by which we live will become transparent as never before as decisions are reached about the way we share and the way we work together in the future (on defence, currency, immigration, education, health etc). Because of what is happening in Scotland just now and the way contemporary society works with so much access to information…this process will happen in public, because of this, the people of England, Wales and Northern Ireland will also have a voice in the bigger conversation about their own society and the way it is organised.</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xP4_xy2ngXk/U--F89K6njI/AAAAAAAABxU/6iAhn9ObNfo/s1600/elementary-school-students-get-75-minutes-of-recess-a-day-in-finnish-versus-an-average-of-27-minutes-in-the-us.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xP4_xy2ngXk/U--F89K6njI/AAAAAAAABxU/6iAhn9ObNfo/s1600/elementary-school-students-get-75-minutes-of-recess-a-day-in-finnish-versus-an-average-of-27-minutes-in-the-us.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shifting the direction of our society could mean learning from the Nordic countries, there, the emphasis is on investment in <i>making great people</i>. Through welfare and education the Nordic countries have a motivated, confident and equal population who are then encouraged to make good careers for themselves....this in contrast to the current UK model that concentrates on making the best conditions for big business, with the theory that business will then look after people. The Nordic countries consistently outperform the UK in every rating for Quality of Life, Economy, Equality and Education....go figure.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">A vote for Yes will bring about a process of reflection and action on the big issues of being human and how we live together for the benefit of all. Thinking positively and constructively about our future is a very different vision of the world from one of a perpetual fight to protect the little we have. History will judge us on our courage to seize this moment for change – a change for the benefit of all citizens of Britain – not just those of Scotland.</span></span><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br /></div>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-40215348417676949852014-01-03T13:06:00.000+00:002014-01-03T13:06:02.798+00:00Dear Britain.....<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Dear Britain – I’ve not been in touch for a while and this felt like a good time to check in and let you know whats been happening at my end. Standing here at the change of the year I can honestly say that I have never looked forward to a new year more than I do this one. </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I am optimistic because I am living in a place and time where the big questions about how and why have become the normal run of things. Specifically, I mean the debate around greater autonomy for Scotland…..and that is why I’m writing – I wanted to explain that I see this conversation <u>not</u> just about us in Scotland but about <u>us</u> in Britain.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">What is emerging in Scotland is a vision for a society that puts human needs above the needs of the ‘market’ – it is a vision for a place where the playing field is levelled out and everyone gets a fair shot at being the best they can be.* I feel proud and privileged to be part of a movement of people that are nurturing and supporting this vision – for the first time in my life I can see the point of politics.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">(* see the <a href="http://www.allofusfirst.org/">Common Weal </a>proposal as a good general statement of the way the debate is heading)</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">3 years ago I shrugged my shoulders and just couldn’t see the point of even voting in elections. What I saw was a numbing adherence to a worldview that stated that what was good for large-scale business was essential to keep the world turning….that it might have a few uncomfortable consequences for a few folk here and there….but that really we have no choice because without big business all the lights would go out and we would all end up in the gutter in rags.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Everything that I saw about UK politics was effectively tinkering around the edges of this worldview. In elections, the worldview was never up for debate – it was assumed that things would stay on that course – all that we were being asked to decide was the colour of the uniform of the captain.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">It is the logic of this status quo casts the current debate in Scotland as ‘nationalist’ or ‘separatist’ – in my experience this is just plain wrong – the conversation in Scotland is an earnest and inclusive discussion about the way we all live together and how we can make the world a better place for our children - how we can be a positive force in the world instead of part of the problem.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nhg1oR2rk3w/Usa0H0Pe0YI/AAAAAAAABwo/Z6cMbX-_FuA/s1600/Office+for+National+Statistics.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nhg1oR2rk3w/Usa0H0Pe0YI/AAAAAAAABwo/Z6cMbX-_FuA/s400/Office+for+National+Statistics.png" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The relative value and number of jobs geographically in UK - Office of National Statistics</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">What I’d like to explore is the idea that a more autonomous Scotland is not just about Scotland but is about Britain as whole. We all live with the day to day 'reality' that London is the centre of gravity of Britain and, somehow, we have all come to see ourselves in relation to London. We are told that London is the place that generates the lionshare of the income that supports the rest of the of the UK – but is that realistic? and what does it say about the rest if us? If we all allow this to continue then, quite literally , the life will be sucked from every other part of the British Isles. And that is the point….. 50 Scottish Labour MPs in Westminster are not going to stem that tide (in some measure precisely because they are <i>in Westminster</i>).</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Imagine for a moment that there was a part of Britain that was doing things differently – a place (very close to home) that could be held up as an example of what happens when you balance a society differently. Imagine a British politics that talked (initially) about <u>two</u> centres of power instead of one. Imagine the way that your region in England, Wales or Ireland could trade and build cultural links with ‘Scotland’. Imagine how pretty soon this idea would catch on and other parts of the UK would start to do things differently and work with each other independently rather than having to run everything through Westminster. Sounds pretty healthy….pretty normal…pretty grown up?</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">You can imagine what Westminster would say…….’it couldn’t work’…..’we couldn’t afford it’…..’you’d never manage without us’…..’everything would fall apart’. Then imagine you lived in Scotland - this is what we have been hearing every day for the last 2 years. The reason that people are standing strong against this barrage is because there is a feeling&nbsp; that, for us, centralised power in Westminster has already fallen apart – our society is broken and we need to do something different. </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I’m not open to the idea of independence because I want to leave Britain – I want to play my part in Britain. I believe in the richness and diversity of the whole of Britain and I think what is happening in Scotland could help unlock that potential.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Happy New Year and all the very best!</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Matt</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">PS I class myself as a ‘maybe’ voter in the referendum. If the vote was tomorrow I would vote Yes – but I am still hoping that the Better Together campaign come forward with proposals for a vision of Scotland fully within the UK – I would like to be choosing between two positive visions rather than simply offered the status-quo as one of the choices</span>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-17374458478332720192013-11-15T00:50:00.000+00:002013-11-15T01:05:31.079+00:00Holding Open the Space of Opportunity<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjoTpPcYpCs/UoVyrRIYkXI/AAAAAAAABwI/qAMjTqlsfxU/s1600/IMG_7224(bw).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjoTpPcYpCs/UoVyrRIYkXI/AAAAAAAABwI/qAMjTqlsfxU/s400/IMG_7224(bw).jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kenneth Fowler at '<a href="http://www.freshstartforthearts.com/news/view/2013-11-14-conference-starts-an-arts-revolution">A Vision for the Future: A Model for Change in Creative Dumfries and Galloway</a>'</td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Yesterday saw the launch of the new arts-led structure for arts in South West Scotland - described by Creative Scotland's Director of Communications Kenneth Fowler as 'nothing short of a revolution'. The process of arriving at the new structure is called the '<a href="http://www.freshstartforthearts.com/">Fresh Start for the Arts Initiative</a>' - I was one members of the Board that oversaw the Fresh Start project and was asked to give an 'artists perspective' on the last 2 years in Dumfries and Galloway at the conference - a couple of people kindly asked me if I would publish a transcript of my talk- so here it is</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rAkV91uLq-4/UoVrG4x_zhI/AAAAAAAABsg/stXv7vbeTS8/s1600/Slide01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rAkV91uLq-4/UoVrG4x_zhI/AAAAAAAABsg/stXv7vbeTS8/s400/Slide01.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">It has become traditional to start any discussion of the Arts in D+G with the fact that, 2 years , we lost much of our art infrastructure with the demise of DGArts and 2 Council arts development posts.<br />As a creative community we did respond to this – initially 60 people gathered in Rhonehouse Village Hall to talk about what we could do together.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2iLwkGEv2kc/UoVrJNQ9J2I/AAAAAAAABs8/OFT20uYouyU/s1600/Slide02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2iLwkGEv2kc/UoVrJNQ9J2I/AAAAAAAABs8/OFT20uYouyU/s400/Slide02.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">This was a reaction to an immediate and challenging situation – BUT it was also a recognition of the fact that contemporary arts practice was evolving and we needed a structure that reflected this new reality. The simple fact that we were strong and organised enough to take on this challenge is, in itself, a testament to the foundational work of DGArts and others – I’d like to personally acknowledge that work on behalf of the region’s artists.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LucxcdfEy1g/UoVrIxeD2aI/AAAAAAAABs4/N_h7uE8JP8w/s1600/Slide03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LucxcdfEy1g/UoVrIxeD2aI/AAAAAAAABs4/N_h7uE8JP8w/s400/Slide03.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://thecommonty.blogspot.co.uk/">The Commonty</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">One of the immediate results of that informal sector meeting at Rhonehouse (which was to be followed by more organised versions at Dalbeattie) was the emergence of The Commonty blog – for anyone unfamiliar with The Commonty – it is run by volunteers, has never had any subsidy and makes the rash promise to publish everything that is submitted. In a geographically huge region like ours The Commonty has become a really valuable tool for keeping everyone up to date with what is happening in the arts.<br />&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">With any disaster (like the loss of DGArts always comes opportunity….sudden change makes a space and the shock inspires new thinking to populate such a space. Often this is just a fleeting, but very precious moment. There is much discussion about creative practice and how it is different from other ways of operating in the world. I’d like to propose that ‘holding open a space of opportunity’ is actually at the core of a creative approach.<br />Looking at what has been happening here over the past 2 years from an artist’s perspective – I believe that the Fresh Start process has been all about continuing to hold that space of opportunity open (and I feel that Kathleen O’Neill grasped this idea from the outset). When there have been the inevitable frustrations and questions about ‘when is something going to happen…and…wwhen will we see results’ – my answer has been that it IS happening and the way forward is to join in and help everyone else keep doing just that….keeping the space open.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />But what does that actually mean?.....what is the point of keeping open a space of opportunity?</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWkzZ3ioAYc/UoVrIe0udHI/AAAAAAAABsw/dXttqaJDxVY/s1600/Slide04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWkzZ3ioAYc/UoVrIe0udHI/AAAAAAAABsw/dXttqaJDxVY/s400/Slide04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/66645449"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null">Inbetween:Dumfries</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Contemporary practice in the arts is becoming more discursive – it is not new to say that art is better at asking questions that providing answers….but when Scottish Theatre maker Nic Green describes the ‘artist as listener’ and talks about an artists needing to ‘quieten the voice of knowing and letting a place or situation actively shape a creative response…..then I believe we are in new and vital territory. Territory that arts practice in Scotland is world class at.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Referring this to the Fresh Start situation in D+G – if we were to place around a finished “structure’ then we would, actually be watching something start to die.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MvRlqO5d50Y/UoVrMfJyWGI/AAAAAAAABtc/ii4sVcn9uFU/s1600/Slide05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MvRlqO5d50Y/UoVrMfJyWGI/AAAAAAAABtc/ii4sVcn9uFU/s400/Slide05.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />By constantly being in a state of becoming the arts in D+G becomes open, collaborative and inclusive for other sectors like Health, Education, Tourism and Environment. If we have a rigidly defined shape we close many doors and become, ultimately, more difficult to work with. One of the most important roles for creative practice is the ability to translate between different approaches in partnerships – this requires the flexibility and nimbleness afforded by permeable boundaries.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />The creative community is gradually growing into our stature as one of the top ten economic sectors in South West Scotland….but our sector is what it is because it plays by different rules. We have been hugely fortunate in having the support of our local authority (in the form of people like Richard Greiveson and Rebecca Coggins) in recognising that and helping us to build a structure that is fit for purpose for how we need to flourish as a sector.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Let us not be under any illusion…….what is being discussed here is not the arts just putting on nice things for an existing niche audience. This is a radical agenda for the arts to play an active part in equipping our world for the challenges of the future. We are all getting the idea that, as a society, we can’t just keep on as we are – there is a recognition that we need to become more adaptable and more resourceful…..teamworking and unlikely alliances are what must become the rule rather than the exception. This is exactly the skillset and daily reality of working in the arts. We have a duty to reach out and share our skills with others just as we continue to learn from and listen to others through collaborative working and co-creation.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />If you see Fresh Start as one giant artwork – then we are all co-creating it with our local authority and other local and national partners – notably Creative Scotland.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wNC_npB6wdI/UoVrKaWfT7I/AAAAAAAABtE/f2SYcQJ0ywc/s1600/Slide06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wNC_npB6wdI/UoVrKaWfT7I/AAAAAAAABtE/f2SYcQJ0ywc/s400/Slide06.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Like any organism, the arts need to feed all parts of its body. ‘Art for Arts Sake’ is something that we need to discuss too. I see ‘Art for Arts Sake’ as being important to the body like dreaming in sleep – essential for health. As an arts community we need to continue to invest in things that have no immediately obvious outcome or use – just as individual artists we need studio time. For me, the only question here is in finding the right level – what percentage of resource should go to Blue Skies thinking and what percentage for down and dirty grassroots?..........(of course you can have Blue Skies Grassroots too – but if anyone knows how to communicate that on a funding application then please let me know!)</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ke3OgB97yZo/UoVrLc9vdnI/AAAAAAAABtM/J4uy07VB7Ew/s1600/Slide07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ke3OgB97yZo/UoVrLc9vdnI/AAAAAAAABtM/J4uy07VB7Ew/s400/Slide07.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://thestovenetwork.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Punkin%20the%20Jubilee">Punkin' the Jubilee</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">My own personal experience of the last 2 years is of working professionally with people that I have known as friends for years – particularly through The Stove and Environmental Art Festival Scotland. Also I have got to know amazing new friends and colleagues around the region.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TleFc6XJq-c/UoVrME0JwhI/AAAAAAAABtY/cg_fxYn4llI/s1600/Slide08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TleFc6XJq-c/UoVrME0JwhI/AAAAAAAABtY/cg_fxYn4llI/s400/Slide08.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://thestovenetwork.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Back%20to%20Back%20Dumfries">Back2Back - The Stove</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I am really pleased that Fresh Start has stuck to the emphasis on geographic representation for the sector as opposed to the traditional divisions into representation by different artforms. For me, this is in keeping with the spirit of our times, when we are all collaborating across artforms AND it builds in a whole region approach from the outset. (Always accepting that everywhere in D+G is complete law unto itself!)</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bb8tSSYRvUI/UoVrNQ7gWEI/AAAAAAAABtk/O5KXreJROcU/s1600/Slide09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bb8tSSYRvUI/UoVrNQ7gWEI/AAAAAAAABtk/O5KXreJROcU/s400/Slide09.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.environmentalartfestivalscotland.com/">Environmental Art Festival Scotland 2013</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I have been asked to show some images from the recent Environmental Art Festival Scotland (EAFS) as an illustration of my artists perspective of the Fresh Start approach.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0rC4JgVgbrw/UoVrOdZemZI/AAAAAAAABtw/11BEzkdKREw/s1600/Slide10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0rC4JgVgbrw/UoVrOdZemZI/AAAAAAAABtw/11BEzkdKREw/s400/Slide10.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><b><i>First Thing to say about EAFS:</i></b><br />The festival was produced by a partnership of three local organisations Wide-Open, Spring-Fling and The Stove. None of us had worked togerher formally before – it was a brilliant experience that was like discovering the bits of your self that were missing in the person of someone else. This bodes really well for the future and through Fresh Start we are beginning to look at ways that an ongoing partnership can be part of the overall Visual/Environmental Arts strategy for the region.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pREEIvzBadI/UoVrOkNK1tI/AAAAAAAABt0/xQLOAIjXMdU/s1600/Slide11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pREEIvzBadI/UoVrOkNK1tI/AAAAAAAABt0/xQLOAIjXMdU/s400/Slide11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b><i><br />Second Thing to say about EAFS:</i></b><br />EAFS was built on long-term working relationships with organisations like Scottish Natural Heritage, Forestry Commission, Biosphere, VisitScotland, Education, and various heritage organisations…….as well as the extensive network of local arts organisation that were, thanks top the work of the last two years, in much stronger contact than previously.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />The intellectual underpinning of the festival also came form work going on in the region -notably the Do Not Resuscitate project. DNR is led by the Crichton Carbon Centre and is a collaboration of leading Scottish climate scientists and artists. Crichton Carbon Centre and Creative Carbon Scotland also worked with EAFS on an environmental, social and economic survey of the festival and the captions on these slides come from that survey.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-snKPJ0ElDuY/UoVrPaj--bI/AAAAAAAABt8/1s__MOUcZ-E/s1600/Slide12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-snKPJ0ElDuY/UoVrPaj--bI/AAAAAAAABt8/1s__MOUcZ-E/s400/Slide12.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b><i><br />Third Thing to say about EAFS:</i></b><br />EAFS included both Blue Skies thinking artworks and more participative and inclusive work. Our aim was to show a range of approaches and attempt to embody the way that our wider community in the SouthWest thinks about the land and the different alliances that form around living with the land. Bringing people to debate such approaches within the context of art happenings and contexts was central to the overall vision of the festival.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XcrvHBNmeLA/UoVrQBUgIZI/AAAAAAAABuQ/lFhuCcpYug0/s1600/Slide13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XcrvHBNmeLA/UoVrQBUgIZI/AAAAAAAABuQ/lFhuCcpYug0/s400/Slide13.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b><br /><i>Fourth Thing to say about EAFS:</i></b><br />EAFS was part of bigger D+G agendas:<br />* The ambition to establish the whole region of D+G as a laboratory fro and National Home of Environmental Art<br />* The proposal for a major landmark artwork at the English/Scottish border at Gretna<br />* Synergy and thematic connections between major festivals in D+G eg Wigtown Book Festival picked up on the momentum of EAFS and included elements from EAFS in their own festival – we are now in discussions about ways that the too festivals can collaborate more closely in the future.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The EAFS Satellite programme</span> continued after the Core Weekend. Fresh Start funded the Satellite programme – which reflected the geographic focus of Fresh Start. The Satellite programme built of the Hub networks giving people a chance to now work together on practical projects…to work on a national and international stage…..and to travel across the region to see what each other was working on.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The Satellite programmes are written up on the EAFS website:<br /><a href="http://www.environmentalartfestivalscotland.com/big-horizons-from-the-high-moor-to-the-shore/">Annadale and Eskdale</a><br /><a href="http://www.environmentalartfestivalscotland.com/wigtownshire-eafs-weekend-in-pictures/">Wigtownshire</a><br /><a href="http://www.environmentalartfestivalscotland.com/nithsdale-weekend-flowers-cows-oranges-and-bings/">Nithsdale</a><br />Stewartry (Stewarty Satellite was integrated into the <a href="http://www.environmentalartfestivalscotland.com/gallery/eafs-core-festival-2013/">EAFS Core weekend</a>)</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PKrX9YrTDMU/UoVrbQwx22I/AAAAAAAABvs/4b9AQCppn98/s1600/Slide27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PKrX9YrTDMU/UoVrbQwx22I/AAAAAAAABvs/4b9AQCppn98/s400/Slide27.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Finally……..</span><br />With projects like EAFS, this conference and the news about Dumfries has been nominated as one of 2014’s Creative Places – I think it is fair to say that D+G is up and running if we just have the confidence to hold onto the string of the balloon and not look down…..then I believe that our region will be fully on the international stage very soon.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-12301930805114169462013-10-15T22:47:00.000+01:002013-10-15T23:12:35.178+01:00Marks of Time VIII<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I have been feeling desperately sad since the <a href="http://thecommonty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/henry-moore-sculpture-stolen-from.html">theft of the Henry Moore's sculpture</a> ‘Standing Figure’ from the upland landscape near Dumfries this weekend.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DZjUMwhFI1s/Ul2x42Ke7lI/AAAAAAAABrQ/G_YwpESZZsk/s1600/1381766417-63.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DZjUMwhFI1s/Ul2x42Ke7lI/AAAAAAAABrQ/G_YwpESZZsk/s1600/1381766417-63.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Standing Figure - Henry Moore 1950 (sited at Glenkiln 1951 - Stolen October 2013</span>)</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">For me this formed part of a unique public artwork that was an inspiration for me in the way I think of making work in landscape.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4YQCw44L2aE/Ul2yxGzxZgI/AAAAAAAABrY/FNua5TdLOTo/s1600/The+Visitation+by+Sir+Jacob+Epstein+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4YQCw44L2aE/Ul2yxGzxZgI/AAAAAAAABrY/FNua5TdLOTo/s400/The+Visitation+by+Sir+Jacob+Epstein+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The Visitation - Jacob Epstein 1926 (sited at Glenkiln from 1954)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">For those that are unfamiliar with the Sculptures at Glenkiln – there are seven artworks one by Auguste Rodin, one Jacob Epstein and 4 by Henry Moore. They are placed in wild pasture on part of the Keswick estate near the Glenkiln Reservoir. There are no signs, no guidebooks, certainly no gift shop or tea room….they are just there in the landscape – where they have been since the first (Standing figure) was sited in 1951.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />There is a lovely introduction to the Glenkiln experience by my good pal <a href="http://www.marysmith.co.uk/glenkiln.asp">Mary Smith - here</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zj9z6Dhid0k/Ul23JOVHaeI/AAAAAAAABr4/iUr_k_mel7A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-10-15+at+22.43.04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zj9z6Dhid0k/Ul23JOVHaeI/AAAAAAAABr4/iUr_k_mel7A/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-10-15+at+22.43.04.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The area of land that contain the Glenkiln Sculptures</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I used the words <a href="http://sacrificialmaterials.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/serious-attempt-to-unravel-public-art.html">public art</a> very carefully and deliberately. The question of ‘public’ is central to everything at Glenkiln. These pieces are placed on privately owned land* - they are only ‘public’ because of the Scottish tradition (and legal right) of free access to all land to everyone. The sculptures at Glenkiln became public by default.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />In the minds of the sculptors there was not the slightest intent that these were public works of art. I am using the term in the way I have defined it in other writing (see – here), rather they were conceived as private or gallery pieces and use their surroundings simply as a ’backdrop’ to their discourse with artistic tradition.<br />And yet, as a whole, I stand by my idea of the Glekiln Scupltures as an amazing work of public art. What I, and many other, experience at Glenkiln is being part of a shared secret and we all gladly share the responsibility of that secret. We know that it is truly remarkable that these works are just out in ‘normal’ (for Dumfriesshire) countryside – unprotected and unsignposted. Sometimes you can find Epstein’s ‘The Visitation’ sometimes it eludes you. It has become something we all eagerly share with our weekend visitors and vicariously enjoy their astonishment that such a thing can exist.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E6u7y-GhrF8/Ul20nT8Fq4I/AAAAAAAABrk/NlkauDd3oN0/s1600/Shenavallbothy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E6u7y-GhrF8/Ul20nT8Fq4I/AAAAAAAABrk/NlkauDd3oN0/s400/Shenavallbothy2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Shenavall Bothy - Northern Highlands</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">In Scotland we have another tradition, the Bothy – these are simple huts out in the wilds that are free for everyone to use to rest, eat and sleep on long distance walks. The rule is that you leave a bothy as you found it or even leave something extra for the next person to visit. For me the sculptures at Glenkiln were like a series of bothies – part of there wonder was leaving them for the next person to discover….and so on down the chain.<br />Against all the odds, what could be seen as a rich man playing tin soldiers in his enormous back garden turned into an expression of community, trust and the spirituality of place</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ExxvMScr80c/Ul21HYeISpI/AAAAAAAABrs/IZAfPGjVJvE/s1600/ERRATIC004-lo-rez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ExxvMScr80c/Ul21HYeISpI/AAAAAAAABrs/IZAfPGjVJvE/s400/ERRATIC004-lo-rez.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Erratic - one of my works at Cairnsmore....anyone finding Erratic is invited to pull out the bronze handle and drag the boulder to a new location</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The idea of shared ‘ownership’ of artworks in the land and the way that a relationship with artworks can cast new light on the way we see understand our surroundings has inspured me in works like <a href="http://mattbaker.org.uk/gallery/rural/cairnsmore/">‘Cairnsmore’</a>, <a href="http://mattbaker.org.uk/gallery/rural/quorum/">‘Quorum’</a>, <a href="http://mattbaker.org.uk/gallery/rural/shinglehook/">‘Shinglehook',</a> <a href="http://mattbaker.org.uk/gallery/rural/new-luce/">'New Luce' </a>and most recently <a href="http://mattbaker.org.uk/gallery/rural/lode-stones/">‘Lodestones’</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">This bond of trust and community in the land is a precious, precious thing – it has been broken by the action of this weekend§ - we are all a much poorer as a result.<br />There is a whole other essay to be written about who works in landscape really belong to and what this says about who owns the land of Scotland.&nbsp; But for now I am still grieving for something lost that was special to me.<br /><br />* Anyone wishing to know where I stand on landownership in Scotland might look at the work of <a href="http://www.andywightman.com/">Andy Wightman</a> – I share many of Andy’s views&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />§ In 1995 vandals sawed the heads from Moore's King and Queen at Glenkiln, but they were reattached.</span><br /><br />_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-558243500629276612013-06-17T18:24:00.000+01:002013-06-17T23:39:01.814+01:00A Collective Noun for Artists - 'a valuable difference'<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Last week I attended a gathering of folk from the arts sector who are interested in the idea of a democratic Scotland. It was an inspiring evening and an honour to be in the company of such talented people....feeling part of a team with such confidence and mutual respect made me feel once again just what a special privilege it is to be alive and part of this place at this moment in time - these are the notes i fed back to the group after the session:</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">1. Embracing Doubt</span><br />I was interested in David Grieg’s point about conversations – specifically conversations around someone’s doubt (re Independence) – I understood David’s point to be about the importance of listening to the doubt –rather than seeking immediately to talk the person out of their doubt.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />I would go further than this – in my experience, working as an artist, the most powerful position is to share your own doubt with the people you are working with. I define myself as a public artist – I define public art as ‘art that is made for a place that is not created to have art in it or on it’ …..this means that a significant element of my artistic practice is spent negotiating consent for myself to BE an artist in such a place – ie convincing other people of the value of artistic practice for THEIR place.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />The only way that I find I can build a working and trusting relationship with people in such projects is to start from a position of equal uncertainty about what the outcome will be. If there is a suggestion that I already have an end result in mind, the project is doomed to failure.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />For me, this is one of the key differences between an artist and a politician – for the artist, the journey is one of discovery and for the politician there is set destination and it is about convincing people to come with them to said destination.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3vCmZg-L6Hg/Ub9FraPzv4I/AAAAAAAABqs/Zz0l5bZ5K9Q/s1600/5394256155_a0868c2f76_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3vCmZg-L6Hg/Ub9FraPzv4I/AAAAAAAABqs/Zz0l5bZ5K9Q/s400/5394256155_a0868c2f76_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />This is all a slightly long-winded way of saying that my way of doing my bit towards building a new country is to share my own doubts through my practice and keep asking questions in the hope of inspiring others to feel enough of a connection to the discussion/country to care about finding the answers. My experience of this process is that moments of action will surface and these need to be grabbed with both hands as they are the visible steps towards change.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">2. A Collective Noun for Artists</span><br />I felt a huge energy rush from being in that room with everyone at Citizen M – what a talented bunch. But I was unconvinced at the idea of joint projects….the sheer complexity of getting a such a group of busy people to work together caused me complete paralysis anxiety.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />What I experienced in that room – as I had in the Creative Scotland Open Sessions was an utter and complete respect for the differences in our practice……all are different- all are valued.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />It seemed to me that it was this respect and valuing that could be our most powerful effect within the Independence campaign. Every artist is affected by what is happening around them – so it stands to reason that each of us, to some extent is ‘making work about Independence’? Perhaps one strategy would be for us all to believe this collectively and then all we need to do is promote each others work. Maybe we don’t need to make particular ‘Indy’ work….just believe in the idea that our commitment and integrity radiates from what we are doing anyway.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XQ_JGW1gqA4/Ub9FriX1U1I/AAAAAAAABq4/QZpdBdVclIU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-17+at+18.20.55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XQ_JGW1gqA4/Ub9FriX1U1I/AAAAAAAABq4/QZpdBdVclIU/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-06-17+at+18.20.55.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Human Megaphone - <a href="http://www.aboutuswithoutus.com/">NothingAboutUsWithoutUsIsForUs</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">What I am imagining here is a form of creative boosterism – where we all agree to talk up each other’s creative projects. All that would be needed would be central point for lodging information about shows, exhibitions, books etc and then an ‘Indy Notification’ to contributors about other projects from within the group (….it would be easy to imagine National Collective fulfilling such a coordination role?). Obviously there would need to be an easy way for others to join the group and other such important details (details that make it obvious why artists don’t run the world!). But if we all tried to use our own media platforms etc to share the work of other creative people working towards Independence – this could be a very powerful message of and in itself…..one of cooperation, support and integrity.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />The kind of cooperative, supportive and honourable Scotland we want to help create for the future.</span></span>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-50989892460830923772013-05-06T19:28:00.003+01:002013-05-06T19:31:41.935+01:00Marks of Time VII<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">16 years ago I finished my first sculptural installation in the landscape of SouthWest Scotland - it was called Quorum and consisted of 6 heads carved from dyke stones and then reinstalled in the dyke. It was sited in Galloway Forest Park in an old sheep fank that was in a clearing in the forestry plantation. I've not visited the work for many years - but was there today</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FHMjx6887Ik/UYfxRpcgEmI/AAAAAAAABpE/atRmnzXSrlw/s1600/matt++heads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FHMjx6887Ik/UYfxRpcgEmI/AAAAAAAABpE/atRmnzXSrlw/s400/matt++heads.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">A gauche and (much) younger me - with Quorum in 1997 - loving notebook and pen in pockets and hair and waistline! </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">You can see more on the work itself <a href="http://mattbaker.org.uk/gallery/rural/quorum/">here</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I was delighted to see the work was still intact (one of the six heads vanished soon after the work was installed) - I love how it has all shifted slightly as, I guess, folk have knocked the heads down and others have put them back........but oh, how I love the way it has weathered!</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PcA1-fXeIYc/UYfx96YmXII/AAAAAAAABpY/tLtLrdRsZfk/s1600/IMG_3479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PcA1-fXeIYc/UYfx96YmXII/AAAAAAAABpY/tLtLrdRsZfk/s400/IMG_3479.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Quorum 2013 - the three granite heads have their eyes closed and have no view out of the fank</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hn1QnEpTwbk/UYfyHgGC0FI/AAAAAAAABpo/OvnG15fYnMs/s1600/IMG_3489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hn1QnEpTwbk/UYfyHgGC0FI/AAAAAAAABpo/OvnG15fYnMs/s400/IMG_3489.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H5w4HYMhjWQ/UYfySUcdWyI/AAAAAAAABpw/RrRrx0ipc6Q/s1600/IMG_3504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H5w4HYMhjWQ/UYfySUcdWyI/AAAAAAAABpw/RrRrx0ipc6Q/s400/IMG_3504.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Quorum 2013 - the Greywacke heads have their eyes open and look beyond the fank</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--BUE7zGod3Q/UYfyTAobeYI/AAAAAAAABp4/jfI7HPNV_28/s1600/IMG_3513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--BUE7zGod3Q/UYfyTAobeYI/AAAAAAAABp4/jfI7HPNV_28/s400/IMG_3513.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The area or forestry around Quorum has recently been harvested - the work was originally about the way the dykes were remnants of a lost world within the plantation.....now the heads have outlasted the crop of trees - I wonder, what next for this place?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The reason I was in the are was to accompany artist <a href="http://www.axisweb.org/seCVPG.aspx?ARTISTID=13591">James Winnett </a>as he looked for a site for his installation that will be part of<a href="http://www.environmentalartfestivalscotland.com/"> Environmental Art Festival Scotland</a>. James needed a high waterfall and it looks like the Grey Mare's Tail in Galloway Forest Park could be the one:</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UaMh5ATKJhU/UYfxnQhDDQI/AAAAAAAABpM/cbrivbznkZI/s1600/IMG_3468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UaMh5ATKJhU/UYfxnQhDDQI/AAAAAAAABpM/cbrivbznkZI/s400/IMG_3468.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">James Winnett - Grey Mare's Tail, Newton Stewart</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">It is a very special privilege to watch an artist discovering a site for the first time - the <a href="http://www.environmentalartfestivalscotland.com/">Environmental Art Festival</a> is proving a memorable project to be working on already....thanks James, for a grand day in Galloway</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6kHGhQLnMKA/UYf282DhUHI/AAAAAAAABqA/M0xAx7wWr2k/s1600/IMG_3477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6kHGhQLnMKA/UYf282DhUHI/AAAAAAAABqA/M0xAx7wWr2k/s400/IMG_3477.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-9179840831457781132013-04-10T17:49:00.000+01:002013-04-22T20:28:28.948+01:00A citizens, a citizen for a’ that<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">‘One step forward and two steps’ back is my experience of the National Debate at the moment. I firmly believe that what we need to be discussing, right now, is the route that we want for Scotland ie what kind of society do we want to build for our common future…..ONLY when there is a <i>foundation</i> of debate* should we then be thinking about the governance we need to deliver it (Independence or part of UK). In other words, to my way of thinking things are pretty ‘cart before horse’ at the moment and I cannot bear the idea that we are all condemned to 18 months of factional debate about whether someone is <i>pro</i> or <i>anti</i> (to me - this just seems as useful as an argument about which soap powder you buy).</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NrefYC6QNCM/UWWSYLOV0SI/AAAAAAAABnQ/_E_2JoJAeUE/s1600/Scottish-Independence-Ref-008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NrefYC6QNCM/UWWSYLOV0SI/AAAAAAAABnQ/_E_2JoJAeUE/s400/Scottish-Independence-Ref-008.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />My ‘One step forward and two steps back’ experience is that whenever there does appear to be a <a href="http://sacrificialmaterials.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/creative-economic-miracles-and-place.html">debate beginning on visions for a future society</a> then a spoiler is thrown into the mix…..that spoiler is almost exclusively ‘nationalism’. When that happens, things shift from being inclusive and outward-facing to being exclusive and, frankly, paranoid.<br />When the nationalism thing comes into play – we are all suddenly talking about&nbsp; ‘people of a nation’ rather than a ‘nation made up of people’. Suddenly everyone is looking over their shoulder for their own ‘authenticity’ and quickly the whole things reaches a precipice close to racism….then everyone pulls back and starts to talk about something else entirely and there you go... we are two steps back (because this ‘future vision’ stuff is obviously really uncomfortable territory).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Maybe we need to tackle what we mean by Scottishness head on, and try and put some things to bed, so that we can all move on and become the nation that we dare to dream of.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7X8RbxJIl00/UWWTtscP9eI/AAAAAAAABnU/NKA4wbla7P0/s1600/Discussion+session+OH.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7X8RbxJIl00/UWWTtscP9eI/AAAAAAAABnU/NKA4wbla7P0/s1600/Discussion+session+OH.JPG" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />One of the ways that I need to tackle this is in relation to accent – it seems to me that Scotland is a very inclusive and welcoming place – racial issues such as skin colour seem pretty inconsequential here. However, the clear ‘majority vs minority’ issue here is how someone <i>speaks</i> – this seems, to me, the dominant characteristic that determines whether someone is ‘Scottish’ or ‘not’. I would bet that every person who considers themselves a citizen of Scotland but does not have a ‘scottish accent’ would recognise the experience of being part of a group of folk talking about the way of things in the country....they are keen to make a contribution to the craic….then when they do speak noticing that almost imperceptible meeting of eyes amongst the group with the collective recognition that you are not ‘scottish’ and therefore your right to an opinion comes under question. This subtle racism needs to be brought into the open – if we were discussing discrimination by skin colour, religion etc then we would recognise the territory and have an idea of how to respond.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Of course there are layers of culture associated with any discussion of accents in Scotland – principally... the situation of ‘colonisation’ by people from England – the ‘assumption of authority’ that can be inherent in an ‘English’ accent in Scotland is also a grotesque form of racism and it is understandable why people in Scotland might treat an ‘english’ voice with distrust. BUT if, as a nation, we are to embrace a positive and empowering future we need to getting beyond things that hold us back.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />NB. not for one second is this article in any way an attack on local accents in Scotland! The sound of an animated chatter between scot’s accents is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world to me…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />All I am saying is that it is maybe time to have sufficient confidence in ourselves and our country such that we can embrace the idea that others want to be part of this place too – that others admire Scotland, its people, its values and its environment and want to consider themselves part of its future.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Imagine a place where cooperation and positivity were the norm – that is the Scotland that I want my daughter to grow up in.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r8bRJtQ9Ydw/UWWXIVB03tI/AAAAAAAABns/34pL6aRCt8Q/s1600/DSC01192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r8bRJtQ9Ydw/UWWXIVB03tI/AAAAAAAABns/34pL6aRCt8Q/s400/DSC01192.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Any group dynamic holds itself back by becoming insular and fearful – such a dynamic is lethal for people coming into it because they can never ‘join’ – this quickly becomes a deadly spiral - inward-looking, disempowerment and consequently lack of opportunity and growth. This is the hardest possible place from which to contemplate change. But change is what we need, we need to turn around hold hands with the person next to us and face the outside.<br />In order to grow, I believe it would be useful to be able to create a definition of being ‘scottish’ that is inclusive rather than exclusive – here is one wee suggestion about how help that idea forward:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">SCOTTISH CITIZEN:<b> any</b> <span style="font-size: large;">A</span>ccent</span><br />Being ‘scottish’ is something you are through no conscious action of your own – but being a Scottish Citizen is something that you must make a positive choice to become. By choosing to be a Scottish Citizen you are choosing to aligne your own future with that of your fellow citizens – it tells others that you believe in the potential of this country and will do your part in making it the best place it can be. I have added :different accents because I think it is important that we build from a place of equality and to do that we need to honour the commitment of others by celebrating our diversity rather than being afraid of it.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The vision here is:</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Scotland as a <i>nation made up of different people</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">rather than:</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Scotland as <u>a</u> <i>nationality</i></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I’m going to try wearing this badge and see what the reaction is – it seems more useful right now than wearing a Saltire, a YES badge or even a Better Together one. I’m thinking that every accent in Scotland is different – so everyone can wear one if they want to.....gimme a shout if you want one too</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yyDFkAu5p7g/UWhW-InE1WI/AAAAAAAABos/d1OQKA1ikhM/s1600/SCaA+badge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yyDFkAu5p7g/UWhW-InE1WI/AAAAAAAABos/d1OQKA1ikhM/s320/SCaA+badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Scottish Citizen : <b>any</b> Accent</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">If you have any ideas suggestions whatever - give me a shout....</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> <a href="mailto:studio@mattbaker.org.uk">studio@mattbaker.org.uk</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">* In case anyone is interested - my top three things for a better future for Scotland would be:</span><br /><ol><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Increased Local Democracy (I don't mean more of the same....rather something akin to the Swiss system with tiers of local citizen panels before you get to Town/regional councils)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">A Land Tax to replace Income Tax</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">A Nordic style welfare system...ie one that is a supportive system for families and child care&nbsp; </span></li></ol></div>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-47259547848628494962013-03-24T16:47:00.002+00:002013-04-22T23:26:34.733+01:00Creative Economic Miracles and Place Governance = big thinking<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Might just be me I guess, but there does seem to be something in the air at the moment about the big questions……I suppose the announcement of the <a href="http://nationalcollective.com/">referendum date </a>could be the cause or maybe the ongoing <a href="http://www.csopensessions.com/">Creative Scotland Open Sessions</a> or even the <a href="http://thecommonty.blogspot.co.uk/p/fresh-start-for-arts.html">Fresh Start</a>project closer to home.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Being trapped inside by the snow yesterday meant I had some time to follow up some of the things people were talking about on the internet and two articles/ideas grabbed me in particular……if fact, my cabin-fevered brain started making too many connections and before I knew it a hybrid of these sources was making very sound sense for all of the 3 situations above:</span></span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lately</span> at <a href="http://thestovenetwork.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/our-foundation-gathering.html">The Stove</a> we have been thinking a lot about governance, participation and collective responsibility – so I was (not typically!!) drawn to something at the <a href="http://ht.ly/jdGVw">Projects for Public Spaces</a> (US) website about a concept they call Place Governance (below are extracts from the article – <a href="http://ht.ly/jdGVw">read the whole thing here</a>):</span></span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">In Place Governance, officials endeavor to draw more people into the civic decision-making process. When dealing with a dysfunctional street, for instance, answers aren’t only sought from transportation engineers—they’re sought from merchants who own businesses along the street, non-profit organizations working in the surrounding community, teachers and administrators at the school where buses queue, etc. The fundamental actors in a Place Governance structure are not official agencies that deal with specific slices of the pie, but the people who use the area in question and are most intimately acquainted with its challenges.&nbsp;</span></span></span></i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LnZzOejK98U/UU8peuiRijI/AAAAAAAABmk/4A5Ou4lcQKk/s1600/2009_buckman_intersection_repair.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LnZzOejK98U/UU8peuiRijI/AAAAAAAABmk/4A5Ou4lcQKk/s400/2009_buckman_intersection_repair.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The engagement of citizens from all walks of life is central to Place Governance, and while a great deal of Placemaking work comes from grassroots activity, we need more change agents working within existing frameworks to pull people in. As the <a href="http://www.knightfoundation.org/">Knight Foundation’s</a> <a href="http://www.soulofthecommunity.org/">Soul of the Community</a> Study has shown for several years running, “soft” aspects like social offerings, openness, and aesthetics are key to creating the attachment to place that leads to economic development and community cohesion. </span></span></i></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://loflinconsultingsolutions.com/">Katherine Loflin</a>, who served as the lead consultant for Knight on the study - “By the third year of Soul we decided to start testing different variables to see whether civic engagement has to work <span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">with</span> something else to inspire attachment. We found that one thing that does seem to matter is one’s feeling of self-efficacy. You need civic engagement plus the belief that you can make a difference in order for it to create greater attachment. We can’t just provide civic engagement opportunities, we also have to create a culture of success around engagement if we want it to translate to feelings of greater attachment to a place.”</span></span></i></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fg7gEDLH0Is/UU8ph7d3qMI/AAAAAAAABmw/FCy3IEFELQw/s1600/pyramids_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fg7gEDLH0Is/UU8ph7d3qMI/AAAAAAAABmw/FCy3IEFELQw/s400/pyramids_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bigthingsonthebeach.org.uk/">Big Things on the Beach - Portobello, Edinburgh</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Matt Leighninger, the director of the <a href="http://www.deliberative-democracy.net/">Deliberative Democracy Consortium</a>(a Community Matters partner) echoes this need when talking about his own work in engaging communities. “The shortcoming of [a lot of community dialog] work,” he says, “is that it is too often set up to address a particular issue, and then once it’s over, it’s over. You would think that people having an experience like that would lead them to seek out opportunities to do it again on other issues, but that often doesn’t happen. Unless there’s a social circle or ecosystem that encourages them and honors their contributions, it’s not likely that they’re going to stay involved.”</span></span></span></i><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Creating that support system is what Place Governance is all about. In addition to their capacity for creating a sense of attachment to place, great public destinations, through the interactive way in which they are developed and managed, challenge people to think more broadly about what it means to be a citizen. Place Governance relies on the Placemaking process to structure the discussion about how shared spaces should be used in a way that helps people to understand how their own specific knowledge can benefit their community more broadly. “We can set up the conversation, and help move things along,” Kent says, “but once the community’s got it, they’re golden. Just setting the process up for them to perform—that’s what Placemaking is.”</span></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The second source</span> I was taken with was an article about the recovery of Iceland after the catastrophic financial meltdown there – I was aware that the country was making a remarkable recovery and had been interested in their citizen assembly and constitution model…..I had also heard how NOT rescuing the banks had actually meant that a lot of talented and creative people who had worked for the banks were now working in different ways in their economy….so I was then further intrigued to read about how the creative industries were fundamental to the turnaround in Iceland….(<a href="http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/3576351-journey-iceland-s-cultural-miracle?xtor=RSS-10">again extracts only…the full article is here</a>)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Iceland escaped the grip of austerity and has turned Icelandic culture into the country’s second largest contributor to GDP, with an impact of around €1bn per year. Unemployment is at 5.7 per cent, growth at 3 per cent – and the island is alive to the sound of music and movie shoots.</span></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If the financial collapse Iceland went through in 2008 is viewed as a laboratory of questions and answers about the current crisis, taking notes on some of the solutions the Icelanders have come up with might be wise.</span></span></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Unlike in southern Europe, where cuts and tax increases have hit on the culture sector in particular, since 2008 this country of 320,000 inhabitants, which is the size of Portugal, has thrown itself into the creative industries sector. The economic impact of that activity (€1bn) is double that of agriculture today and ranks just under the island’s top industry, fishing – the legendary export machine that ships cod (and other seafood) to the continent.</span></span></span></i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--dQari0iy28/UU8qDYhVZwI/AAAAAAAABnA/5Xzaw3uxqx4/s1600/creative_iceland_report.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--dQari0iy28/UU8qDYhVZwI/AAAAAAAABnA/5Xzaw3uxqx4/s400/creative_iceland_report.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><br /><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">All thanks, in part, to Iceland’s petite 37-year-old culture minister who has dug her heels in over the last four years and refused to go away when the government asked her, “Why should we give money to artists?” Sticking to her guns, she has converted the arts into the poster child of the island’s recent economic success.</span></span></span></i><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">The government cut back on spending, thinned out ministries and cut overheads. But they boosted contributions to independent cultural projects. It was a highly adept and flexible blend of public-private involvement, but without the state ever stepping back from its managing role in culture and education.</span></span></span></i><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k4_S7BBMLGQ/UU8plhDna4I/AAAAAAAABm4/XZh0cSsc_bQ/s1600/sonar-2013-banner-660x250.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k4_S7BBMLGQ/UU8plhDna4I/AAAAAAAABm4/XZh0cSsc_bQ/s400/sonar-2013-banner-660x250.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sonar Music Festival</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">There also remains the issue of whether this model can be exported to countries such as Spain or Italy, whose populations are 150 times greater – and so too are the economic problems. Magnason thinks it can. “It can be applied to most places. The problem in Europe, especially in Italy and Spain, is all these young people who do nothing or who are in that strange limbo where neither the government nor the industry are defining what they should do. And that keeps them from fully tapping into their creativity.” Perhaps it’s a question of hitting bottom.</span></span></span></i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">So there you have it</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">…..invest more in culture to get people more involved in the places they live and the whole thing multiplies…..if we get folk actively involved in making their lives better we might even get a quality discussion about the country we want to live in and how best to achieve that….you never know.</span></span></span></div>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-41266303568810132962013-03-11T21:52:00.003+00:002013-03-19T20:43:37.925+00:00Environmental Art Festival Scotland<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I'm honoured to announce that I am co-curating the inaugural Environmental Art Festival Scotland. I'm representing <a href="http://www.thestove.org/">The Stove</a> on the project and lucky to be working with Jan Hogarth for <a href="https://www.wide-open.net/">Wide-Open</a>, Leah Black for <a href="http://spring-fling.co.uk/">Spring Fling</a> and Tonia Lu is our project assistant</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">This first EAFS is part of <a href="http://www.visitscotland.com/about/nature-geography/year-of-natural-scotland/">Year of Natural Scotland</a> and if it is successful we hope that it will become a Biannual event in SouthWest Scotland </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCggbgnZ_lo/UT5QYf3fjQI/AAAAAAAABmU/E8jJDjub73o/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-11+at+21.34.14.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCggbgnZ_lo/UT5QYf3fjQI/AAAAAAAABmU/E8jJDjub73o/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-03-11+at+21.34.14.png" width="580" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">EAFS has the themes of Energy and Land, it runs from July to end October and aims to host a regionwide conversation about issues connected to the 'culture of living with the land'.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">We have an Open Call for commissions, ideas, venues, groups and individuals who would like to be part of the festival - <a href="http://www.environmentalartfestivalscotland.com/">details here </a></span>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-18510013224150385322013-02-27T21:58:00.001+00:002013-03-01T21:36:50.238+00:00A healthy life and death cycle at eca<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Last week I had a life enhancing few days at the Edinburgh College of Art (eca) - I was asked by my good friend Rachel Simmonds to help out with tutoring an Innovation Week project....it was a delightfully easy gig - Rachel had done all the graft of thinking up the idea and getting the materials, students and risk assessments together - all I had to do was join in.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Innovation Week is a week for special one-off projects that involve the collaboration of students across different disciplines. Rachel's project involved students from Animation, Performance Costume, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Fashion<span style="font-size: small;">, </span>Product Design, Jewellry and Illustration.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">These were first year students, across the different disciplines they did not know each other....they were put in teams with no two students from any one discipline.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The project was called the Risk Wall - students attended a series of talks about boundaries, barriers, walls and subversive strategies - they then set out to explore Edinburgh's Flodden Wall - built in the 16th Century to defend the city against English invasion.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Amed with this research and their creativity they were asked to construct a series of customised cardboard boxes that could be built into a new Risk Wall in the eca Sculpture Court at the end of the workshop. Students were a<span style="font-size: small;">sked to think about risks that they, society and the <span style="font-size: small;">Edinburgh might face toda<span style="font-size: small;">y and how <span style="font-size: small;">a 'wall' might <span style="font-size: small;"><i>manage</i> these<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1zovyVJhVec/US55yadPQuI/AAAAAAAABks/WFBfGIEcuFc/s1600/IMG_3014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1zovyVJhVec/US55yadPQuI/AAAAAAAABks/WFBfGIEcuFc/s400/IMG_3014.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The pallet of flatpacked cardboard boxes that were the materials for the Risk Wall</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D428bEESqSA/US55zPmJv1I/AAAAAAAABk0/RzGI9DVBHfE/s1600/IMG_3040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D428bEESqSA/US55zPmJv1I/AAAAAAAABk0/RzGI9DVBHfE/s400/IMG_3040.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Students under the RiskWall - eca Sculpture Court</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IAelLPFfjwk/US55vTiz67I/AAAAAAAABkk/MgHr11Mz5JU/s1600/IMG_3045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IAelLPFfjwk/US55vTiz67I/AAAAAAAABkk/MgHr11Mz5JU/s400/IMG_3045.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Complete Risk Wall and students spelling words for the timelapse camera</span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L8-EEldOyvc/US56HlIJRmI/AAAAAAAABlU/1zx4AjvW3Uo/s1600/IMG_3049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L8-EEldOyvc/US56HlIJRmI/AAAAAAAABlU/1zx4AjvW3Uo/s400/IMG_3049.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">An Opening for the whole college</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nPryngaYS3E/US56HSGusrI/AAAAAAAABlM/HDywP7YTuuE/s1600/IMG_3057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nPryngaYS3E/US56HSGusrI/AAAAAAAABlM/HDywP7YTuuE/s400/IMG_3057.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Joyful destruction #1</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jx5e9_heaV4/US559S8Zl2I/AAAAAAAABlA/Bc1IaEsTr1Q/s1600/IMG_3065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jx5e9_heaV4/US559S8Zl2I/AAAAAAAABlA/Bc1IaEsTr1Q/s400/IMG_3065.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Joyful destruction #2</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FPqLCrGH1P8/US559IXV3WI/AAAAAAAABk8/HmiDS4dIO-4/s1600/IMG_3075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FPqLCrGH1P8/US559IXV3WI/AAAAAAAABk8/HmiDS4dIO-4/s400/IMG_3075.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Thats it....there is no more</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">For me this project demonstrated everything that is wonderful about creativity.......collaboration, conceptual thinking, hands-on making and improvisation, a coming together of people and ideas, a reflection, frenzied madness, clearing away and recycling.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">In other words a cycle of birth, life and death - all carried out cleanly, creatively and in celebration of life.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">There is a lot of talk at the moment of the role of the creativity in society and the part it could play in helping society to be more healthy in the widest sense of the word.....there is also talk of different forms of 'engagement' and in particular of sharing of 'process' rather than 'product' (eg - <a href="http://misplacedhabits.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/the-unknown-public-fragmentary-notes-on-public-engagement/">here</a>).........The Risk Wal<span style="font-size: small;">l</span>, for me, was an example of a creativity in action which gave a possible clue for how creativity could be part of a wider participative process for wellbeing across our society</span></span>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JEKBL6X28Y">TIMELAPSE VIDEO OF THE RISK WALL - HERE</a> ......by Neil Kempsell </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Many thanks to Rachel Simmonds, Ed Hollis and all the students of Year 1 Design School for having me over to play</span></div><br />_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-57165195278829831672013-01-13T16:17:00.000+00:002013-01-14T00:18:30.994+00:00Round 1: Pressed Pants an a Hair Shirt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qn5oLibE42k/UPLWbP1TmbI/AAAAAAAABgM/_n6eDAsLrFI/s1600/Gallus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qn5oLibE42k/UPLWbP1TmbI/AAAAAAAABgM/_n6eDAsLrFI/s320/Gallus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3411">6 design proposals for an overhaul of Glasgow’s George Square have gone on public display</a>….but (hopefully) this is just the first coy glance in a seduction full of risk and passion.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Lets get this straight from the get go – I fucking love Glasgow (with apologies to mum and partner who are both polite Embra folk). I love its ballsiness, I love its loudness and I love the fact that it has dragged itself mewling and puking into the world by taking jaw-droppingly audacious planning decisions……drive a motorway through the centre of town? Get it done.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8lR3Lox5JHg/UPLSOgGDA1I/AAAAAAAABf0/e38U2-45_tU/s1600/4538498198_406x307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8lR3Lox5JHg/UPLSOgGDA1I/AAAAAAAABf0/e38U2-45_tU/s400/4538498198_406x307.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M8 construction Charring Cross 1971</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C_lNlGaMiq8/UPLWixg4eyI/AAAAAAAABhA/OirWsgC8bzs/s1600/tramp+around.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C_lNlGaMiq8/UPLWixg4eyI/AAAAAAAABhA/OirWsgC8bzs/s320/tramp+around.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Anthony Stewart and Archie Birt</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">My Glasgow is first and foremost commercial&nbsp; – global shopwindow, place of exchange, city of ideas and raging passions…all furcoat and nae knickers – a place that has built an enviable career as a festival city….festivals – the ultimate furcoat and nae knickers experience….transform yourself completely, hold it together for as long as it takes, recycle what you can, prepare for the next opportunity, grab it with both hauns.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I was genuinely excited when I heard about the George Square re-design idea…another gallous re-invention…people like Neil Baxter, David Harding and Simon Smith involved (3 generations of Glasgow creativity – people with Glasgow in their souls) – BRING IT ON!</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eRL_9Dd-FJA/UPLWeSEwI5I/AAAAAAAABgw/0TtsP9Oe7HI/s1600/gorbals+hopes+and+dreams+pink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eRL_9Dd-FJA/UPLWeSEwI5I/AAAAAAAABgw/0TtsP9Oe7HI/s400/gorbals+hopes+and+dreams+pink.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">below:Queen Elizabeth II examines design proposals for the Gorbals in early 1960s - above: same project demolished 1991</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Looking at the design proposals I think we need to be realistic about what we are looking at - these designs appear like job applications to me, like they have been made by ticking off the requirements of the brief and taking politically correct soundings from public comments about ‘the statues’ etc. When designers know there is to be a public consultation they throw in a few populist moves….hopefully these are strategic designs pitched at getting to the next stage whilst keeping the fireworks dry.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t7gpDxFvQB8/UPLWcZkPJhI/AAAAAAAABgY/jSj3xmgQy5k/s1600/d%2529+George+Wyllie%2527s+sketch+of+the+Straw+Locomotive+%2528Friends+of+George+Wyllie%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t7gpDxFvQB8/UPLWcZkPJhI/AAAAAAAABgY/jSj3xmgQy5k/s400/d%2529+George+Wyllie%2527s+sketch+of+the+Straw+Locomotive+%2528Friends+of+George+Wyllie%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Wyllie - proposal sketch for 'Straw Locomotive' 1990</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">These first salvoes are not confident and gutsy design of the sort Glasgow demands and deserves – the treatment of the ‘the statues’ is a case in point…..many of the designs retain the statues but re-contextualise them eg under a <a href="http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9591">slightly funky pavilion</a> or <a href="http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9592">group them around a water feature</a>. All this does is underline that these are not remarkable artworks – they are mostly pretty standard Victorian fare – <a href="http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9588">Design Option 3</a> attempts a new formal layout of the statues – this is a bizarre and revealing move. What these ideas serve to underline is a lack of confidence in contemporary practice. How much better could our new George Square be with work from some of our internationally acclaimed contemporary Scottish Artists?? We need a statement of Glasgow NOW – one that still has confidence and momentum…not one that is hesitant and covering all the bases ‘in case’ – make a call and then back it all the way! Like New York, Glasgow only lives through re-invention – heritage is just part of the toolkit – not the whole gameplan.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aVF_FJPoQTY/UPLWbQPbOrI/AAAAAAAABgQ/kEJ-dckHMiQ/s1600/Glasgow_Shopping_Center_2009_Ray_Devlin-530x353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aVF_FJPoQTY/UPLWbQPbOrI/AAAAAAAABgQ/kEJ-dckHMiQ/s400/Glasgow_Shopping_Center_2009_Ray_Devlin-530x353.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The Walter Scott column is a nettle that must be grasped also.... George Square works best as a setting for the awesomely gallus City Chambers and the truly moving Cenotaph……the Scott Column only really has any urban value in relation to Hanover St….it actually detracts from the spatial quality of the square in relation to the City Chambers. Either remove it altogether or creatively adapt it as an accessible viewing platform or the <a href="http://www.locusplus.org.uk/projects/2653~Hotel+Monument">most exclusive (and smallest) hotel in town</a>……how much of the proposed £15million pound budget will be spent shifting this <a href="http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9588">vast structure 30 yards to the North?</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">How much better to use this opportunity to make a new story in Glaswegian lore by re-siting Walter and his column - making a much needed new people's place somewhere else in the city.</span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Eb_KbbqRtkw/UPLYz2EuGAI/AAAAAAAABhk/GVDjvvqLG-Q/s1600/1001374127_cf8b67ef09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Eb_KbbqRtkw/UPLYz2EuGAI/AAAAAAAABhk/GVDjvvqLG-Q/s400/1001374127_cf8b67ef09.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Walter Scott monument in George Square</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AwDKcdLpi-g/UPLcb0ahQRI/AAAAAAAABik/EAG8TvXmRIw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+16.06.02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AwDKcdLpi-g/UPLcb0ahQRI/AAAAAAAABik/EAG8TvXmRIw/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+16.06.02.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Proposal by artist Tatzu Nishi to create a hotel room around the column and statue of Earl Grey in Newcastle (curated by LocusPlus)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">So what to do? I'm sure all of the shortlisted designers are excellent candidates, any could be the right team (apart from possibly the tartan paving design – we are beyond irony, we are gallus). Maybe the project steering group could now talk to all of the shortlist again and look hard into the underlying thinking and sensitivities of the proposals – try and fathom out which team best ‘gets Glasgow’….pick this team on that basis (and that basis alone) and then encourage them (as only Weegies can) to be bold and brave and give us a city square that sets pulses racing and breaks all the rules – might be a good idea to drop a contemporary artist into the second stage design mix…..let a Nathan Coley loose, add a bit of Richard Wright, sprinkle some Karla Black or a even a dash of Susan Phillipsz?</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">We might then enter a phase where we have commissioned a team that is working for the city - and part of their/the steering group/our ...JOB is to keep a channel of communication alive with the city about how the thing is progressing.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JdCN80GZjWA/UPLWjMaNtkI/AAAAAAAABg8/0xCzpica0tk/s1600/tumblr_mbndj1jz221r6w3qso1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JdCN80GZjWA/UPLWjMaNtkI/AAAAAAAABg8/0xCzpica0tk/s400/tumblr_mbndj1jz221r6w3qso1_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathan Coley 'There Will Be No Miracles Here'</td></tr></tbody></table>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-80761300115050973002013-01-07T20:53:00.000+00:002013-01-13T17:40:04.824+00:00I'm Looking for an Assistant....<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am looking for someone who has a range of practical skills, confidence, enthusiasm, is a good communicator and a fast learner. </span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I have a diverse range of socially-engaged public art projects committed for 2013 – in the past I have always worked with assistants on individual projects, I’m now looking for someone to support the entire spread of my practice. The opportunity will suit someone who is serious about building a professional career in the arts – particularly in sculpture and/or socially-engaged practice.</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73RAQBz0MnQ/UOm7j0U8M6I/AAAAAAAABe8/GuGhByaTZ_w/s1600/Heather+%253D+waymarker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73RAQBz0MnQ/UOm7j0U8M6I/AAAAAAAABe8/GuGhByaTZ_w/s400/Heather+%253D+waymarker.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Reconvening Govan Parliament (left), Govan Waymarkers (right)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am proposing an initial period of 6 months at a rate of £1000 per month (11 days per month approximating to 2-3 days per week). This will be on a self-employed basis and you will be responsible for your own tax etc.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g-Bf1Wqyjpc/UOm7gfDN5GI/AAAAAAAABeo/ls7dUlqIbpk/s1600/ERRATIC004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g-Bf1Wqyjpc/UOm7gfDN5GI/AAAAAAAABeo/ls7dUlqIbpk/s400/ERRATIC004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><i>Erratic </i>- mobile sculpture in remote landscape SouthWest Scotland</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Skills that will be useful in the role </b>(I not expecting anyone to be experienced in all of these!)<b>:</b></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">good communication skills – face to face, phone, email, social-media etc&nbsp;</span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">practical making skills</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>diary keeping and project administration</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>project monitoring and working as part of different project teams</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>presentation and workshop facilitation</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">social media and administrating project blogs</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ability to work independently in </span>word processing, spreadsheets, email, internet&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">&nbsp; research etc – (I use Apple with Microsoft Office)</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>driving Licence</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">graphic design (digital and physical)</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>passion for the arts</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>interest in places, history, processes of change, identity and people</span><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">My studio is 6 miles north of Dumfries, I am committed to quality and growth of the arts scene in SouthWest Scotland and will give preference to candidates who are/will be based in the area.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vHaiwofQQww/UOm7lf5Mv6I/AAAAAAAABfE/jmyku9LF6Uw/s1600/shifter%252Bsalon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vHaiwofQQww/UOm7lf5Mv6I/AAAAAAAABfE/jmyku9LF6Uw/s400/shifter%252Bsalon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Philosophers Salon - Inverness (left), Scene Shifter - detail (right)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b>Further information on my practice can be found at:</b></span></span> </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><a href="http://www.mattbaker.org.uk/">www.mattbaker.org.uk</a>(past projects….currently being updated)</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><a href="http://sacrificialmaterials.blogspot.co.uk/">http://sacrificialmaterials.blogspot.co.uk/</a>(my blog – also has links to other projects I am involved in)</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Application process</b></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>LETTER– explaining: why are interested in the opportunity, what relevant experience you have and what you believe you could contribute.</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>EXAMPLES of relevant experience…. could include images of your own artwork, links/descriptions of projects you have worked on etc</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>CV</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">All material to be submitted electronically (documents in PDF or Word format, images as jpegs or PDF) – total file size of submissions should be maximum 6MB</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sent to <a href="mailto:studio@mattbaker.org.uk">studio@mattbaker.org.uk</a> by 1<sup>st</sup>February 2013…interviews will be held after that and I am looking for someone to start work by mid/end February.</span><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E8wB3APIl2s/UOm8kJFBHaI/AAAAAAAABfQ/4kLj9qO4Mm0/s1600/3Virtues_8794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E8wB3APIl2s/UOm8kJFBHaI/AAAAAAAABfQ/4kLj9qO4Mm0/s400/3Virtues_8794.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Three Virtues (left), Re-Imagining the Centre (projection by Dan Norton - right) - both Inverness</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I look forward to hearing from you </span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">All best wishes</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Matt</span></span></div>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-2261956059450857632012-12-20T21:53:00.001+00:002013-04-22T23:26:51.025+01:00The Commissioning Thing<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O7GK_3ymNp4/UNOD7bxdq5I/AAAAAAAABds/q2p3yke4R3A/s1600/preh006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O7GK_3ymNp4/UNOD7bxdq5I/AAAAAAAABds/q2p3yke4R3A/s400/preh006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Carving of a hunted animal - 12,000 years old</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">In the background of recent debate about Creative Scotland (CS) an ideological debate is also going on about the role of the arts in our democratic society. So far this debate has been contained entirely within the context of analysis of one particular element in the whole picture ie CS.<span style="font-size: small;"> While CS brought <span style="font-size: small;">the issues into full public view, CS</span> is not and should not be the <span style="font-size: small;">complete focus of<span style="font-size: small;"> th<span style="font-size: small;">is larger debate - rather<span style="font-size: small;"> I believe, we need to step back from <span style="font-size: small;">analysis of the functioning of a 'machine' and look instead at the purpose <span style="font-size: small;">we wish to ach<span style="font-size: small;">ieve - this, in order to better refine<span style="font-size: small;">/reconfigure the <span style="font-size: small;"><i>means</i> of delivering th<span style="font-size: small;">is purpose.....<b>part</b> of this <i>means</i> wi<span style="font-size: small;">ll be CS <span style="font-size: small;">Mk2</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">There are many think-tanks and theorists working on the way that society needs to best equip itself for <span style="font-size: small;">the future<span style="font-size: small;">. One of the oft cited conclusions of these debates is that <b>creativity </b><span style="font-size: small;">and <b>adaptability </b><span style="font-size: small;">will be <span style="font-size: small;">key s<span style="font-size: small;">kills for co<span style="font-size: small;">ping with/making the best of the future. <span style="font-size: small;">The more radical <span style="font-size: small;">thinking<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">(eg <a href="http://www.internationalfuturesforum.com/">IFF</a> or <a href="http://www.afternow.co.uk/">Afternow </a>or <a href="http://www.theplayethic.com/what-is-the-play-ethic.html"><span style="font-size: small;">The Play Ethic</span></a><span style="font-size: small;">) goes fu<span style="font-size: small;">rther suggesting that <span style="font-size: small;">'unless we (creatively) ima<span style="font-size: small;">gine a future, we will be condemned to live in someone elses'.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Th<span style="font-size: small;">is app<span style="font-size: small;">ears a compe<span style="font-size: small;">lling argument for the arts as something to be supported by the state&nbsp;<span style="font-size: small;"> - but with it come<span style="font-size: small;">s a key question - <i><span style="font-size: small;">'should we be supporting <span style="font-size: small;">professional artists to do the creativit<span style="font-size: small;">y themselves and ask them to pass on the knowledge via the traditional media of literature, performance, visual art etc......OR...should we be asking our <span style="font-size: small;">artists to re-imagin<span style="font-size: small;">e their roles as leaders/facilitators/prov<span style="font-size: small;">o</span>cat<span style="font-size: small;">eurs in a more participatory relationship<span style="font-size: small;"> with the rest of society (ie challenging traditional notions of 'audience')?'</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">If we are to explore<span style="font-size: small;"> what the second of these options might look like<span style="font-size: small;">, then we need to start from the premise of believ<span style="font-size: small;">ing in the principle of creativity - <span style="font-size: small;">by this I mean<span style="font-size: small;">, we need to start from what artists are doing in their own practice<span style="font-size: small;">...NOT decide what artists should be doing and then <span style="font-size: small;">attempt to</span> impose that thro<span style="font-size: small;">ugh a funding regime in a similar way say to the<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>Common Agric<span style="font-size: small;">ulture Policy trying to control food production and <span style="font-size: small;">land man<span style="font-size: small;">agement through grants to farmers.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thi<span style="font-size: small;">s ha<span style="font-size: small;">s been one of the great failings of CS Mk1 - to separate the <span style="font-size: small;">st<span style="font-size: small;">ra<span style="font-size: small;">tegy of the organisation from real practice in the arts sector</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>.<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> It has ofte<span style="font-size: small;">n been diffic<span style="font-size: small;">ult to see where<span style="font-size: small;"> stra<span style="font-size: small;">tegic direction of CS is com<span style="font-size: small;">ing from<span style="font-size: small;"> - this opacity was a problem irrespective of the merits or otherwise of the policy direction. I<span style="font-size: small;"> believe it is a fundamental principle that practitioners from the arts need to<span style="font-size: small;"> be <span style="font-size: small;">an active an ongoing part of the wa<span style="font-size: small;">y arts strategy <span style="font-size: small;">is formed and enac<span style="font-size: small;">ted.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">There is another side t<span style="font-size: small;">o <span style="font-size: small;">the way we look at this <span style="font-size: small;">question,<span style="font-size: small;"> that <span style="font-size: small;">is the way that we educate our prof<span style="font-size: small;">essional creative artists. Obviously this <span style="font-size: small;">is a massive <span style="font-size: small;">topic - but the point I want to make now is simply that I believe too much emp<span style="font-size: small;">hasis is placed on a single career traje<span style="font-size: small;">ctory ie to <span style="font-size: small;">disc<span style="font-size: small;">over a unique 'cre<span style="font-size: small;">ative voice' and then get that <span style="font-size: small;">heard within the <span style="font-size: small;">'right circles'. I feel that th<span style="font-size: small;">is <span style="font-size: small;">educational model only serves a tiny percentage of people and society at large suffers from the high percentage of creative people who give up on creative careers al<span style="font-size: small;">together<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Having introd<span style="font-size: small;">uced some of the <span style="font-size: small;">larger context</span> for the discussions around arts policy <span style="font-size: small;">I believe it is easier to look at some of the main debating points that have surfaced in the <span style="font-size: small;">discussions about CS Mk1....'commissioning'</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />One of the questions at the core of that debate is whether it is better to give support to artists simply to make the work they want to make….or whether particular aims should be decided at 'high level' and support be streamed according to such aims (ie that support for artists be judged on how well their work meets fits with those objectives).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oLgkFkrdEns/UNOD5BMbz1I/AAAAAAAABdc/ent7JD42v_0/s1600/flagellation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oLgkFkrdEns/UNOD5BMbz1I/AAAAAAAABdc/ent7JD42v_0/s400/flagellation.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">mythological scene - 550 years old</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Let me declare from the outset, that I believe passionately in art for arts sake and I believe that, as a society, we should contribute some of our precious communal resource towards the support of completely undirected artistic expression. But, for me the key word here is ‘some’. I think of this in a similar way to the way we support scientific research…..there is always a provision for&nbsp; ‘blue-skies’ thinking – BUT the majority of publically supported scientific research (read practice in the arts) is drawn from funds with a strategic direction ie how the work interacts with or serves society.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">(I'd be interested to see how Science education works in this regard - are all student scientists sing<span style="font-size: small;">le</span>-mindedly striving to be 'blue-<span style="font-size: small;">skies<span style="font-size: small;"> researchers' or is their a more diverse field of expected car<span style="font-size: small;">eer paths?)</span></span></span> </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />In laying the ground, from an arts perspective, about <span style="font-size: small;">a diversity of</span> approach to the 'contract' between artist and society - I'd like to suggest two positions:</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />1) From an analysis of artistic practice – since the dawn of time the artist has had a commission from their society….their job was to articulate/illuminate concepts that were important to a society, be that creating a magical object to bring good fortune in the hunt or telling a creation myth that cemented kinship bonds in a group. Only <span style="font-size: small;">with the Enlightenment emp<span style="font-size: small;">hasis on hermetic disciplines</span></span> did it become possible to separate the artist as something self-contained and self-directed. We created a mythology of the ‘artist genius’ - someone who was not only highly skilled in realising ideas in creative form….but also capable of generating the worldview that they represent. In short, artists were re-imagined as self-contained generators and purveyors of myth. There is no doubt that there are people who are capable of this extraordinary role, but to cast this mantle upon everyone who wishes to take the role of artist in society is a form of madness. I believe it is time that we began to integrate our artists back into society (they are always going to be a bit ‘different’ of course!) – time that we stopped looking to them for ‘answers’ , but rather involved them in the big conversations and looked to them, instead, for ways to articulate/illuminate in extraordinary ways.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vTJGTt1V9uw/UNOD-H3yKII/AAAAAAAABd4/FYu-AA6aCcw/s1600/spem550.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vTJGTt1V9uw/UNOD-H3yKII/AAAAAAAABd4/FYu-AA6aCcw/s400/spem550.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Song of worship - 450 years old</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">2) My second perspective is as someone who cares passionately about creativity. I am desperately worried that, should the arts insist on a hermetic and intrinsic discourse (ie that art is specifically for an arts audience), – then it will gradually be corralled into a smaller and smaller section of the public consciousness and gradually the democratic government will reduce the amount of support given to the arts as a direct proportion of the size of its audience. I believe that it is only through the arts working in collaboration with other agendas (Education, Environment, Health, etc) that we can prove ourselves as a vital and living contributor to our society and therefore worthy of support and patronage. I genuinely believe that this will not be to the ‘detriment’ of the arts…rather that it will herald the next great age of art (and society) in Scotland.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j1BWkMTljPE/UNOD6PhOktI/AAAAAAAABdg/lb-k5L3wDzI/s1600/macbeth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j1BWkMTljPE/UNOD6PhOktI/AAAAAAAABdg/lb-k5L3wDzI/s400/macbeth.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Tragedy (Macbeth) - 390 /5 years old</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Looking at the currents at work in the world just now, my judgement is that momentum is away from specialisations and towards cross-disciplinary working. While the appalling phrase ‘jack of all trades and master of none’ still has currency, I believe there is a move towards adaptability (or in Scots terms ‘crofting’) and creative responses to situations, responses that are prepared to draw on experience from any discipline without prejudice (eg Curriculum for Excellence in general education).&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is a time in the world that could genuinely be called <i>post</i> modernity….or the <i>post post</i> enlightenment – but one that, hopefully, will soon take its own name without need of reference to the age previous.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: large;">In this context the urge to maintain an arts structure which is built around independent specialisms (particularly based on an artist’s ‘medium’) seems backward looking, when the arts should be leading from the front.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hld4T_tChjs/UNOD9Ph01rI/AAAAAAAABd0/KNTVzmWhbcU/s1600/raging-bull-bfi-00m-y1m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hld4T_tChjs/UNOD9Ph01rI/AAAAAAAABd0/KNTVzmWhbcU/s400/raging-bull-bfi-00m-y1m.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Tragedy - 30 years old</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Also, let us not be under any illusion about the idea that public support for ‘art for arts sake’ is NOT commissioning. Art is by definition subjective…..therefore the choice of who receives support and who doesn’t.....is also subjective. It is impossible for any group, who sit in judgement, to abstract themselves entirely from the society of the artists they are judging. We have all heard stories of ‘pressures’ being brought to bear within the dynamics of selection panels. Artists know that they need the support of key ‘influencers of taste’ in order to be successful in their applications for funds for their work. This means, defacto, that work being produced ‘for arts sake’ is in fact being ‘commissioned’ by a certain circle of taste……now, you could argue that this was in the service of a growing ‘national culture’ and keeping us on a level with other world-class art nations……but aren’t those the same arguments that are made for the much maligned practice of public sector ‘commissioning’??</span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aLlJ_NzpnsM/UNOEPEJCfzI/AAAAAAAABeE/Ge4GD-MhEFs/s1600/58522672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aLlJ_NzpnsM/UNOEPEJCfzI/AAAAAAAABeE/Ge4GD-MhEFs/s400/58522672.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vessel - 1300 years old</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Returning to the smaller conversation about Creative Scotland for a moment…..I have not a shred of doubt that there are very valid questions to be answered about the commissioning directions, communication with the sector and the way the organisation was run – these things must be addressed and I believe there is a will on both sides to do this. (And there is a HUGE debate to be had about managing political influence being brought to bear on a public commissioning strategy). But, within the arts sector we need the time and space to debate:</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />* The way we divide resources between ‘blue-skies’ and ‘applied’ practice</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />* How arts organisations could adapt to working within ‘policy themes’ rather than ‘intrinsic artform’ core funding</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />* What we need our national arts body to do to smooth the way for creative individuals and organisations to work more compatibly with ‘non-arts’ organisations and agendas</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />* How we can organise ourselves into forums and think-tanks to assist our arts bodies in keeping policy, methodology and selection in line with leading arts practice.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dJeiBNGIJvQ/UNOD3WyRPEI/AAAAAAAABdU/ljsT5F7X6us/s1600/RBwean1008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dJeiBNGIJvQ/UNOD3WyRPEI/AAAAAAAABdU/ljsT5F7X6us/s400/RBwean1008.jpg" width="327" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Protest poem - 350 years old</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /><br />I hope whatever form the new Creative Scotland takes that it will be bold enough to make space for the big debate to take place and maintain a commitment to keeping Scotland’s artists at the forefront of that debate.</span>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-26665633248095155722012-12-08T18:53:00.000+00:002013-04-22T23:27:33.180+01:00From the Rammy to the Reel?<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Scots are among the best people in the world to be in a fight with – everything can be going hammer and tongs and then, out of nowhere, an invisible switch is flicked and before anyone knows what is happening we are all drinking, dancing and congratulating each other on the rammy. Considering the National Arts Conversation (NAC) my feeling is that we should recognise the events of the last week as such a ‘lightswitch moment’ and, at the risk of pushing this metaphor too far, that we maybe miss out the swally but get straight into a dance. </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />We ‘the artists’ need to pay due recognition and honour to the manner in which the CS board admitted fault and held out a hand of friendship and cooperation. Such a gesture will not have been easy and it demands a wholehearted and generous response in return.<br />Much has been made of the amount of ‘business people’ on the board and ‘businessspeak’ coming from CS – we should also recognise a genuine attempt in the statement to forge a common language between all parties connected with the organisation. Further, as we dance together, I believe that a balanced and trusting relationship between excellence in ‘artists’ and excellence in ‘business’ can forge something genuinely visionary – something that can open new doors and shift arts practice in Scotland onto a whole new level. We need to value the skills of everyone prepared to be part of the reel.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oKUjTnqmahQ/UMUpWpQa6XI/AAAAAAAABc0/YfG09c_TtFw/s1600/dancinpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oKUjTnqmahQ/UMUpWpQa6XI/AAAAAAAABc0/YfG09c_TtFw/s400/dancinpic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">So – to practical steps. My first reaction to the current position is that CS should appoint an <i>Interim CEO</i> – a time limited post with a specific remit to support a process of development and innovation….this to put us in a position where we know exactly the kind of person we want as our permanent CEO in the future. I suggest this interim appointment be until the end of 2014, that artists be represented on the selection panel for the recruitment….and further that this Interim CEO period also includes the appointment of an artist-in-residence to CS....to animate the NAC for everyone (for the avoidance of doubt - I don’t want the job).</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />One of the potentially useful effects of such an approach would be that the new permanent CEO would be appointed after the referendum – this might make charting the political course through the next 2 years a little simpler for our ‘semi-autonomous governmental organisation’</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>……seconds IN…..round two</b></span><br />One of the big questions we need to consider….and consider VERY quickly, is the need for what follows to be a genuinely inclusive and visionary approach to communication and debate. We owe a huge debt to the team of national arts journalists who have kept this issue in the public eye and played a big part in getting us to this place. (Having Phil Miller’s twitterfeed on constant refresh yesterday is something that will stay with me for a long time – thanks Phil you have done great service to our sector)</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />What the journalists did was gather disparate voices into some form of consensus that was comprehensible to CS , the public and the politicians.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">However, what we need now is for a full and nuanced debate to flow…something that really is a DANCE and like a dance needs to be something that everyone is equally involved in, <b>no one leads</b> and at the end we all feel that we all feel we have played our part in making something together. To me, this means that we need to let go of the concept of consensus for a while - people attempting to ‘sum up’ the situation as we go could be very counterproductive …..leading to some people feeling that particular views are being given precedence. We are embarking on a quest for a structure in which everyone feels they have permission to speak…..a structure of&nbsp; ‘Adhocracy’ which reflects creativity throughout (thanks to <a href="http://prophetscotland.majical.org/">Susan Pettie</a> and <a href="http://www.internationalfuturesforum.com/">Andrew Lyon</a> for the concept). I would ask that our friends the journalists allow us to go through the ‘messy’ process of creative collaboration and not turn this process into any form of news story.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Cue fiddles…..</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Footnote</b> - <i>just a little more clarification on what I am saying about the kind of communication space I believe we need.......it was certainly not my intention to decry the role of journalists, I have the greatest respect for their job as guardians of truth, commentators/crtics and callers to account....I 100% meant what I said above about the invaluable role journalism has played in getting us this far (even if I have occasionally called for people to not overheat the situation).&nbsp;</i></span></span><br /><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What I am saying is that we must make a space in which everyone feels comfortable to contribute opinions and ideas - it is my experience that a significant percentage of people, with something to say, feel reluctant to add their voice to a conversation when they believe that a) it will become public in a way that they have no control over, b) they will be shouted down by others more confident in their public voice or c) that speaking out will in some way compromise them professionally.</span></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We need to hold open a public space that everyone feels safe, trusted and valued within - like anyone else, journalists are welcome in that space and subject to the rules of the space.......all I am suggesting is that it is to everyone's advantage to take some of the heat out of the overall situation right now - to enable the best dialogue to take place.</span></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Such a space might be online - it might be a series of open meetings - it might be an cross-disciplinary arts festival. Lets use the networks and tools we have just now to throw ideas out there and see what sticks...(the messy business of the creative process!)</span></span></i>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-42527093930708250922012-11-15T10:30:00.001+00:002013-04-22T23:27:11.828+01:00New Deal in a Post Post Enlightenment Scotland<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Apologies that this post is so long - it starts with some thoughts about the Creative Scotland Awards</span> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">and goes on to speculate about a New Deal between artists and society - a deal that CS could manage on our behalf.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I have been worried for a while (<a href="http://sacrificialmaterials.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/the-rammy.html">see previous posts</a>) that deeply entrenched positions are being taken around Creative Scotland and that, in the long run, this will serve no one. It has been marked that no one seems able to be positive about the upcoming Creative Scotland awards – every comment has to be followed by some aside – this to me speaks of a form of mob mentality where folk are afraid to diverge from the orthodoxy.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I must declare many interests in the discussion – but the one most pertinent here is that a project I was involved in has been nominated in the Community category of the awards in question. I am fiercely proud of <a href="http://www.aboutuswithoutus.com/">NothingAboutUsWithoutUsIsForUs</a> – it involved some 15 artists and 18 community groups and organisations – in total over 200 people were directly involved in making the project and more than 1500 people came to take part in the main event. The project was not commissioned by anyone – tsBeall and I&nbsp; thought it up and spent 3 months fundraising to make it happen (none of our direct funding came from Creative Scotland – but NAU was presented as part of GlasgowInternational which itself had some CS funding). The people in Govan connected with the artwork are proud to have been recognised in a national award process – whatever the politics around Creative Scotland and their awards I do not want to see that achievement spoiled unnecessarily. (NB I do understand and share the very real concerns about the gender composition of the awards jury)</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8EirxITNtDg/UKTCiay02EI/AAAAAAAABbI/a0-pUCugM8o/s1600/Inbetween+splash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8EirxITNtDg/UKTCiay02EI/AAAAAAAABbI/a0-pUCugM8o/s320/Inbetween+splash.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />I think it is important that we keep discussion around the CS awards in proportion within the context of the very real and vital larger discussion around the arts in Scotland and CS's role within that.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Last week saw a week of live art and discussion in <a href="http://www.thestove.org/search/label/Inbetween%3ADumfries">Inbetween:Dumfries</a> (curated by The Stove artists collective) – this used artists interventions to highlight a discussion about the way creative practice could permeate processes in a small town – processes such as local democracy, education, generation, environment etc.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />One of the invited speakers at Inbetween:Dumfries was Andrew Lyon who is the Director of the <a href="http://www.internationalfuturesforum.com/">International Futures Forum</a> (based in Fife). Andrew gave a talk called the History of the Future and began with a stark illustration of the extremes that groups of people can be driven to when they see their worldview threatened. In 1697 an 18 year old medical student in Edinburgh called Thomas Aikenhead was hanged for publicly questioning the existence of God – he was the last person to be executed for the crime of Blasphemy in Scotland. The execution took place against a backdrop of the growing ‘Enlightenment’ wherein humanist and rationalist thought were questioning religious orthodoxy. Within 30 years of poor Thomas’ death, David Hume was the toast of Edinburgh and was able to openly publish humanist texts. How much of the ‘baby’ was lost with the ‘bathwater’ through the adversarial nature of this ideological change is a question that has haunted the following 300 years.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WnbBF4pGWCg/UKTCjMrPzuI/AAAAAAAABbM/Y-Ru5MHKlzo/s1600/403330_345488502143250_733791941_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WnbBF4pGWCg/UKTCjMrPzuI/AAAAAAAABbM/Y-Ru5MHKlzo/s1600/403330_345488502143250_733791941_n.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Execution of Thomas Aikenhead</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />In sitting with this example the temptation is to look at the current CS situation and ask how the dynamic of old and new is working there. There certainly seem to be two groups forming – on one hand a group of artists and journalists who hold passionate views about the right to individual self-expression and the responsibility of a democratic society to support artistic practice and experimentation without a defined ‘useful’ outcome. On the other is Creative Scotland and the political machinery of state that is set on a path of placing creativity at the service of society and embedding practice at all levels without an a-priori distinction between different ‘artforms’. </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />On the surface the old and new question might seem obvious – ‘self-expression’ and distinct artforms was the mantra (I’m generalising..) of the old Arts Council and the embedded generalist model is the ‘new broom’…..and yet the means of delivering the ‘new’ vision seems quite old fashioned and based on the principles of a capitalist system that looks increasingly bankrupt….this is not the world we live in today. (<a href="http://sacrificialmaterials.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/what-i-wrote-to-parliamentary-committee.html">my views on this have been published widely….in my own words they are here</a>)</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />So it is not just as simple as aligning oneself with a particular camp – what is required is a synthesis – a process that I feel begins with agreement on some principles. Andrew Lyon had some incredible graphic illustrations that showed creativity as a key tool in making decisions about the future for all of us….but, I believe it is more fundamental than that – with huge trepidation (and not on Twitter!) I believe we need to introduce the idea of what art/creativity is for.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Following the recent Parliamentary Committee session on Creative Scotland I was criticised by Francis McKee (CCA Glasgow) and Joyce McMillan (Theatre Critic – Scotsman) for suggesting that the arts should be for ‘good’ in society – their point was that we should not be telling artists what to make and that if an artist wanted to make something that people found troubling or even ‘evil’ then it was important to for a society to support that.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I agree with them wholeheartedly – but my point is that, at heart, (nearly…no absolutes here) all creative people have a very strong desire to leave the world a better place than they found it, a keen sense of social justice and an ability to project themselves into different scenarios and predict outcomes. Sometimes artists find it necessary to use shock tactics and cause upset and offence – but I believe that work comes from a deep desire to effect the world in a positive direction.<br />If we attempt the impossible a return to Plato’s cave….the first cavepainter was not interested in self-expression as ‘painter’ he/she was intent on creating something that was useful within the group he/she belonged to.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Our rational/humanist/enlightenment path since 1700 has had the effect that of breaking all of our society and thinking into different specialisms – this has given birth to the idea of an artist as a self-contained entity that both thinks up their own brief/mission for their practice and carries it out. I believe that what we are looking for here is a new contract between creativity and society – one that imagines a careful dismantling of specialisms and the formation of a discussion platform that values creativity as an important and useful voice in society and where artists can also hear the needs and desires of others in society.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />I do not believe that such a contract can be driven by ‘market forces’ or any of the other instruments of determinism – rather there is an opportunity now for the different interest groups in this situation to agree that a deep love for humankind and our environment should be the principle that we start from and then we use the full power of our (artists) creativity together with the practical experience and political influence of CS to forge something that the world has never seen before.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">What I am suggesting is a contract of trust (a New Deal) between artists and society (that is advocated, supported and administered by CS) one that allows artists complete creative freedom in return for the understanding that their work DOES have a social impact (<i>one</i> amongst many impacts) and that it is appropriate that this impact be subject to evaluation - in the same way as any other public spending.<br />I believe there will remain a place for 'pure' <i>arts for arts sake</i> within the same context of say 'pure' research in science - but the relationship between that work and galleries/theatres/publishers needs to be clearly defined and transparent. BUT, the majority of what CS supports (including funding) needs to be part of a clear strategy for a) education/career development b)using the arts as part of a local and national understanding of our culture and environment and c) promoting Scottish cultural production on a world stage.</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />Part of supporting the New Deal will involve CS in significant (but unglamorous) work behind the scenes creating new bridges that allow artists to work directly with larger organisations like Local Authorities, NHS, SNH, Visit Scotland, Education etc - we desperately need new arrangements over simple things like digital file sharing, procurement, contracts and insurances that will allow new partnerships to flourish and reach their potential.</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />As artists we need to understand and adapt to new circumstance and I believe there is much to celebrate in such a brave new world - what seems to have happened is that when the CS project began with ALL THOSE BLOODY CONSULTATIONS!! our sector (on the ground not the managers) did not maybe have sufficient self awareness to take a genuinely constructive part in that process. We are now ready - and CS would do well to take advantage by using this moment in time to&nbsp; come out to talk to us. This must not be another set of 'Roadshows' dripping with merchandise and flashing lights - CS knows the scene well enough now to identify key broker organisations in the regions to host discussion events….events that should include the opportunity for local practitioners to show their work on an equal platform to CS so that the entire thing feels like a show and tell session amongst equals.This would be a good ground to negotiate the New Deal for artists that I describe above.</span></b><br /><b><br /></b><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I'd be very happy to discuss any of this with anyone, anytime</span></b>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-76412233006195265542012-11-11T20:44:00.003+00:002012-11-11T20:44:48.302+00:00Award Nominations for Govan Projects<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I'm very chuffed that Govan projects I've worked on have been honoured with two nominations for national awards:</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Br-dtEmTXMw/UKAKrndfLgI/AAAAAAAABas/5XdwFTlHsAk/s1600/_TM80299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Br-dtEmTXMw/UKAKrndfLgI/AAAAAAAABas/5XdwFTlHsAk/s400/_TM80299.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The whole <a href="http://sacrificialmaterials.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Govan%20Riverside">Govan Riverside</a> project has been nominated in the 'Creativity in Regeneration' category of the <a href="http://www.scotregen.co.uk/">Scottish Urban Regeneration Forum</a> annual awards</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IFW5azT09HQ/UKAK9WlV8MI/AAAAAAAABa0/dls82-ucnXY/s1600/our+fight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IFW5azT09HQ/UKAK9WlV8MI/AAAAAAAABa0/dls82-ucnXY/s400/our+fight.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br />And <a href="http://www.aboutuswithoutus.com/">'Nothing About Us Without Us Is For Us</a>' has been shortlisted for the 'Community' category in the <a href="http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/creative-scotland-awards-2012-full-1428438">Creative Scotland Awards 2012</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">the results will be announced for SURF award 12th Dec and Creative Scotland 13th Dec.....gonna be a big week.</span>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-10113448422980199802012-11-01T09:23:00.000+00:002012-12-03T11:19:17.707+00:00Rammy no more<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The two artist discussion forums in the last week have, by all accounts been brilliantly uplifting empowering and reflective in equal measure – just one of the incredible outcomes of recent times in arts in Scotland are that for the first time many of us can remember artists (never known for our ‘joining’ mentality) are feeling like we belong to group of fellow travellers. Ironically, given the discussion of specialisms etc re CS – it also seems like many of the disciplinary boundaries are also being cast aside in the movement of ideas is flowing....it is brilliant!</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The challenge we now face is how to stay true to ethos of genuine equality in our debate while at the same time taking recognition of the fact that we are also in many other conversations, as a group, simultaneously. <i>As a group</i> we are also talking to the mainstream media, to Creative Scotland, to the political system and to the general public. Whilst many in each of those groups are interested enough to trawl the layers of communication in various media and understand the nuanced debate, most will extract their information from the mainstream media and, in the worst case, the headlines only.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Todays<a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/arts/creative-scotland-accused-of-treating-artists-like-benefit-scroungers-as-crisis-summit-held-1-2608263?utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_source=twitterfeed"> 'Creative Scotland accused of treating artists ‘like benefit scroungers’ as crisis summit held' </a>is a complete disaster for us.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I believe that, as a sector, we need to build a working relationship with the journalists that are reporting ‘The Creative Scotland Story’. The majority of artists will have complex and well-formed critiques of the modern mainstream media – about the dumbing down of dialogue and the simplification of events into an ever re-cycled set of nursery storys….maybe? We have two options…either we attempt to exclude the mainstream media from our debate (censorship?....not our style?) or we must form a working relationship with the media (like Creative Scotland and everyone else in this scenario).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">At the moment we risk ‘our story’ being morphed into two media archetypes together: ‘Celebrity relationship hits problems’ and ‘David and Goliath’</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Taking Ashley and Cheryl first…….the way this one goes is that there is an initial throwing of accusations and hurt by the ‘injured party’…..the public’s appetite is whetted for a fight….the media wants the story to roll…nudges are given to both parties ‘psst…tell YOUR side of the story’. We, the audience, start to hope for something genuinely dramatic to happen (on camera preferably) – but what we forget, very quickly, is that this is actually about two people trying to happy and support each other(well possibly not in the Cheryl/Ashley example…but u get the point) – what THEY need is to take time out and do some genuine reflection together and decide what is best for them….NOT what will make the best headlines.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">We have done the first shouting…the work of the letter to Sir Sandy Cro<span style="font-size: small;">m</span>bie and Stramash etc al has been brilliantly effective in making an opportunity for us to forge the future we all want…..lets not forget that this is NOT about destroying Creative Scotland – we are artists and we believe in what we do and want our country to have the best possible system to encourage and grow creative practice for the benefit of everyone. I believe that this is what Creative Scotland want too.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Moving to David and Goliath….we are not well served by this archetype either. There is only one endpoint in that story – the giant falls. And then what happens…we bring down Creative Scotland – what next….do we get on a roll and think about forming a government? Not for me I’m afraid…. and for another thing – I do not want the arts to be an underdog any more I want us to loud and strong, confident of our worth in our society.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I believe we need to work fast and hard to pull back the ‘story’ (in the public mind) from ‘messy divorce’ and/or ‘plucky underdog growls’. Journalists like Phil Miller, Joyce McMillan and Charlotte Higgins have helped us get around the right tables with Creative Scotland and their masters – we now need to reinforce to these folk that if they really do want to continue to help us they need to genuinely understand what we want to achieve here and then maybe they might even advise us on how we could use their media to assist us in our goals.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Anyone up for an artists and journalists open space?</span></div>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-70242825270458074972012-10-11T17:55:00.001+01:002012-10-11T23:22:48.622+01:00The Rammy?<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The current ‘Great Creative Scotland Stooshie’ both represents 1) a golden opportunity for the arts and a 2) a gaping elephant trap.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The whole world is looking for new ways of doing things – smart collaborative ways of working. In many of the areas I am working in at the moment the arts and artists are leading the way in genuinely groundbreaking initiatives. What we need to be doing in relation to Creative Scotland is bringing to the table imaginative strategies and attitudes that confirm the status of the arts as one of the guiding lights that can lead and inspire others.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">There is a need and an opportunity for the arts to use all the brilliant tools at our disposal to first create and then inhabit an arena of inclusive debate about how the arts should be positioned in a modern, forward-looking Scotland. This will include debate about how we support the creation of original work….how the arts take their place as a tool for education and wellbeing…..how we decide on work that requires subsidy to reach an audience and what society can expect back for that support. In short, the whole kit and caboodle of a new contract between artists and the nation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">What we are risking at the moment is the arts ending up as a ‘problem’ that gets solved according to the bankrupt logic of adversarial conflict. The increasingly likely outcome is that someone will be given the task of ‘sorting’ the arts….there will be some symbolic blood-letting on both sides and then we will be consigned back to society’s long grass – our credibility as potential opinion-formers and beacons-of-hope damaged rather than enhanced.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">To be slightly ‘apart’ or ‘outside’ is a crucial part of the artistic make-up….. it is important to how we function. How we manage this in relation to the rest of society is the key to progression at this point of time. With that ‘outsider’ mentality comes a questioning relationship to ‘authority’……this is an easy button to press with most of us – it can lead to spectacularly positive results it can also lead down blind alleys of self-destruction. It appears to me that the cultural media is hugely enjoying its moment in the sun on the front pages – this is further pushing that ‘outsider’ button in many artists…..we like nothing better than a just cause!!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://sacrificialmaterials.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/what-i-wrote-to-parliamentary-committee.html">I entered this debate through the Culture and Education Committee at Holyrood and tried to move the debate forward - but my contribution was 'paraphrased' by parts of the media</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">&nbsp; </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kROkEGFVE84/UHbtpozh2fI/AAAAAAAABaQ/yce668rItzg/s1600/rushdie_2330213b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kROkEGFVE84/UHbtpozh2fI/AAAAAAAABaQ/yce668rItzg/s400/rushdie_2330213b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">But what is the cause and is it just? I believe it is true that Creative Scotland arrived with reforming zeal and a shiny new broom…..it is true that often this was not a comfortable prospect…particularly when the broom was wielded, at times with a macho vigour that seemed to have little regard or understanding of what was in its arc. But for me, the much discussed ‘business-speak’ actually seemed more dated at times than really threatening.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">But lets look at our options….do we really want to throw the whole thing over and demand a fresh start….this just ain’t gonna happen. Lets not forget (because the politicians won’t) just how long this all took to set up in the first place. What we have in Creative Scotland is an embryonic National Institute for Culture – what we, as artists, need to do now is embrace the possibility of this and help it reach its undoubted potential – to do that we need positive strategies more than we need barricades.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">In a microcosmic form the arts in SouthWest Scotland has been going through a similar process to the whole country. Following the demise of DGArts the arts sector gathered itself together and began a process of discussion with other partners in the region. The net result of this activity is a prototype structure with regional arts hubs feeding into a central cross-disciplinary body. This central body has devolved power from the local authority to commission projects, develop strategy and form partnerships. The key characteristic of the overall approach is the presence of practitioners on an equal footing with council officers and agencies such as NHS, SNH, Tourism, Education and <b>Creative Scotland</b>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Could something similar be an outcome of re-configuring Creative Scotland itself – yes it certainly could…but not if we allow ourselves to be pushed into a adversarial corner.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Building bridges instead of burning them might not make headlines but is the best hope for the future of the arts and the country.</span></div>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188189946572962276.post-74791723459478991292012-09-15T10:52:00.001+01:002012-09-20T11:27:38.377+01:00What I Wrote to a Parliamentary Committee<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I have been asked to appear before the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Culture next week - in advance I was told I could submit a written contribution to the debate. Before doing this I spoke to many colleagues and put out a <a href="http://thecommonty.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/creative-scotland-year-one-verdict.html">call for comment on our local arts blog&nbsp;</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Whilst much of the content of my statement has been discussed with colleagues - <i>it is entirely my own personal view. </i>The <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/S4_EducationandCultureCommittee/Meeting%20Papers/Papers_20120918.pdf">statement is now in the public domain</a> and has already been reported by the media - the article that I have seen,I feel, places undue emphasis on 'criticsm ' of Creative Scotland - what I intended, was to provide positive strategies for action that would benefit grassroots arts in Scotland and assist CS in achieving their aims.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Here is my full submission to the committee if anyone would like to see what I actually wrote:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">(NB when I wrote my statement I thought it would <i>only</i> be read by committee members in advance of the hearing and then would be made public along with full transcript of the committee proceedings.......It was certainly NOT my intention to whip up any kind of public controversy)&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LnbqLypkE28/UFrvRlkGCiI/AAAAAAAABZ0/GNfAZhrMafw/s1600/Picture+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LnbqLypkE28/UFrvRlkGCiI/AAAAAAAABZ0/GNfAZhrMafw/s400/Picture+9.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Culture and Education Committee - Scottish Parliament 18.09.12</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><br /> <style><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Courier New"; panose-1:2 7 3 9 2 2 5 2 4 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 2 1 2 1 8 4 8 7 8; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; 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mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:455412621; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:1841062718 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-18.0pt; font-family:Symbol;} @list l1 {mso-list-id:776867656; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-651819454 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l1:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-18.0pt; font-family:Symbol;} @list l2 {mso-list-id:1154101362; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-2105776380 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l2:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-18.0pt; font-family:Symbol;} @list l3 {mso-list-id:1636983209; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:1420306410 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l3:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-18.0pt; font-family:Symbol;} ol {margin-bottom:0cm;} ul {margin-bottom:0cm;} </style><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Creative Scotland – One Year On<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Written Evidence submitted by Matt Baker</span></i></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1. Much to applaud in the bravery of the apparent attempt to affect a sea-change in the way we approach public support of creativity and culture in Scotland.</span></span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">2. From the ‘factory floor’ the CS approach comes across as threefold:</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">To market Scottish <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">creativity on an international stage</i></b>at the highest level</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">To move creative endeavour <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">away from dependence on subsidy and towards self-sustainability</i></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">To <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">breakdown out-dated distinctions between artforms</i></b> ………ie focus on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what</i> the work is doing for different audiences rather than concentrating on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how</i> it was produced.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">3. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">HOWEVER ……..</span></b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">there is unease at some of the ways the CS approach is being received at grassroots of the Scottish creative scene and serious questioning about the long term implications for our industry.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">4. The way that CS is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">marketing Scottish creativity on an international stage</i></b> is similar to having employed a foreign football coach to try and achieve greater success in European competition……this feels like the team our ‘natural game’ is being suppressed in favour of an unfamiliar system. It is still early days and it is probably worth sticking with the experiment for now – but important to keep an eye out for morale in the camp.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">5. The second element of CS’ apparent tripartite approach is the one which I believe is the most in need of immediate adjustment: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">away from dependence on subsidy and towards self-sustainability</i></b>……</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">CS appears to be applying a traditional <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Development Agency </i>model to the arts. the strategy seems to be to remove core funding and instead support individual projects on the premise that this targeted support will allow/encourage organisations to become self-sustaining and independent of ongoing support. This strategy applied from a centralised national body – and without a complimentary package of other measures (see below) cannot work and will cause wanton destruction of vital arts infrastructure in the country (eg withdrawal of Flexible Funding programme)</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A significant problem with this approach is that the delivery of ‘one-off projects’ is too often awarded to ‘safe pairs of hands’ and even more problematically to consultancies and production companies that are often based out with Scotland. Thus, such projects do not leave any meaningful future capacity behind them.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Meanwhile……</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">a quiet revolution is taking place at the grassroots of the arts in Scotland – a revolution that could help CS to achieve the aim of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">away from dependence on subsidy and towards self-sustainability</i></b>…… if they were to make some quick changes of emphasis in the way they are applying their approach. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The arts in Scotland have always been world leaders in work that is collaborative and developed through the active participation of communities of folk. Recent reduction in local government support for the arts (and the confusion at the end of SAC and start of CS) has seen the flourishing of cross-disciplinary and practitioner-led organisations. These organisations are forging meaningful partnerships in their locality and working together to deliver on strategic objectives out with the normal arts remit (eg Health/Wellbeing, Education, Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration, Tourism, Environment and Sustainability). These initiatives are breaking down the perception of ‘arts being just for an arts audience’ and building a case for the arts as tool for the common good right across the spectrum.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Examples of such initiatives that I have personal experience of are <a href="http://www.invernessoldtownart.co.uk/">IOTA</a> (Inverness), <a href="http://waterrow.org/?p=492">Glorious Govan</a> (Govan) , <a href="http://www.thestove.org/">The Stove</a>(Dumfries) and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/bordersartstrust">Borders Arts Trust</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What is needed…</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">is for CS to adopt a more devolved development structure to encourage the growth of local practitioner-led groups – these are the breeding ground of tomorrow’s national Scottish cultural ‘squad’.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Regionally based CS officers – spending at least 2 thirds of their working week in their region (and the rest at CS HQ) – getting a genuine feel for how the arts in a region are working and where development investment would be most valuable. A regional strategic organisation like the ‘Chamber of Arts’ in the SouthWest would be perfect structure for such a regional officer to fit within.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Helping to change the understanding of the Arts as ‘different’ – the prevalent business culture is that artists need a ‘middleperson’ to mediate between them and the ‘normal ‘ world. CS needs to stop giving funding to consultants and agencies (especially those based in England) – instead they need to give priority to projects where creative individuals and groups are working directly with other partners and particularly where projects will result in increased local capacity for future projects.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Supporting practical initiatives eg introduction of ‘percentage for arts’ legislation within local planning legislation (ref The Highland Council), working with local authorities, NHS etc on ways that procurement process can be easier for creative organisations to negotiate. Supporting local arts organisations in negotiating contracts with Education, Regeneration, Tourism etc to establish themselves as contractors in these fields and to ensure that this support assists in the building of long-term sustainable working relationships for local arts organisations (rather than just short-term gains for external consultants etc).</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Public Art…..</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">is an example of the window of genuine opportunity that exists right now. CS is investing in a few large-scale Public Art projects that it sees as being of ‘international scale’. This ‘grand projects’ scale of Public Art has never been a big part of practice in Scotland – rather we have been world leaders in truly integrated and ‘socially-engaged’ public art. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Public Art is one of the areas of arts practice that is most conducive to blurring the boundaries between arts disciplines and to building partnerships with agencies out with the arts. Carefully targeted CS investment in local public art capacity could provide a vital income stream for the arts in region that would help support self-sufficient local arts infrastructure. All CS would need to do was deploy a local officer to:</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Advocate for the arts with potential partner organisations</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Direct CS investment to build local capacity</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Work with local authorities to broker cross agency working and encourage the use of arts project to deliver on strategic objectives</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Discourage the reliance on external consultants – instead promote the idea of building sustainable relationships directly with local artists and arts groups.</span></span><br /><br /></div>_mattbakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936194290084196193noreply@blogger.com